More sightings of the eye-catching sea creature colloquially known as the Blue Dragon have been reported along the NSW Hunter region coastline.
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Beachgoer Hayley Vimpani captured these images of the "stunning" Glaucus atlanticus at Birubi on Tuesday, while Newcastle resident Donna Baguley photographed the creatures along Bar Beach on the weekend.
"They have been coming in with the wind and the bluebottles," Lake Macquarie lifeguards team leader Lucas Samways said.
He had reports of the dragons, which are brightly colored sea slugs, at Redhead beach.
The slugs can grow up to three centimetres long and a group of glaucuses floating together is called a 'blue fleet'.
The sea creatures float on the high tide mark and are most often seen alongside bluebottles because they eat them.
While the blue dragon is not venomous by itself, when feeding on bluebottles it stores the stinging nematocysts, so when it is threatened or touched, it can release these stinging cells onto a creature or person.
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"The main stings we have seen this season are still bluebottle stings," Mr Samways said.
"Visually the blue dragon stings don't look like a bluebottle sting, but they can pack the same punch."
He reminded beachgoers to take note of the flags and if the marine stingers flag is out, to make a personal decision on whether a swim is worth risking a sting.
Jessica Brown
Jessica began her journalism career in 2009 as a cadet at The Port Stephens Examiner before moving to London for a two-year stint working in magazines and digital publishing. The Lake Macquarie local returned to Australia where she took up a reporting role at The Maitland Mercury. She worked across several rounds including local council, police and property before moving into digital journalism and joining the team at The Newcastle Herald in 2017.
Jessica began her journalism career in 2009 as a cadet at The Port Stephens Examiner before moving to London for a two-year stint working in magazines and digital publishing. The Lake Macquarie local returned to Australia where she took up a reporting role at The Maitland Mercury. She worked across several rounds including local council, police and property before moving into digital journalism and joining the team at The Newcastle Herald in 2017.
