Don’t be fooled by its size or beauty—the blue dragon (Glaucus atlanticus) is both a survivor and a thief. This stunning sea slug floats upside down on the ocean’s surface, carried by the currents like a tiny, living sail.

With electric blue and silver colouring, it looks like a miniature dragon. But what makes it truly remarkable is what it eats—and how it fights. The blue dragon preys on venomous jellyfish like the Portuguese man o’ war, and then stores their stinging cells in its own body to use as a defence.

Blue dragons are simultaneous hermaphrodites, meaning each individual has both male and female reproductive organs. But they still need a partner to mate.

Mating is done side-by-side, as their venomous cerata make close contact risky. After mating, both individuals lay long strings of tiny white eggs, often attached to floating debris or the surface of the water.

The young hatch into miniature versions of the adult and begin drifting immediately.

The blue dragon is proof that the ocean’s smallest creatures can carry the biggest surprises. Its life strategy—drifting upside down, stealing toxins, flashing colour—reminds us that even fragile things can be powerful.

It also shows us how animals adapt to the harshest conditions, and how our impact on the ocean surface affects even the most delicate drifters below.