Blue dragons found at Sharpes Beach near Ballina

A venomous creature known for feasting on bluebottles is being seen more frequently on northern NSW beaches. Here is why.

When Ballina surfer Michael Crisp saw an ‘alien-like’ bluebottle last month he was sure to keep his distance when taking a photo.

Now he’s seeing them more often.

Mr Crisp photographed a blue dragon in the sand on December 30 at Sharpes Beach.

His eyes widened when he saw a few more washed up on the shores of Ballina beaches on Thursday and Friday last week.

The blue dragon is a sea slug which grows no bigger than a thumb but carries a poisonous punch.

It feeds on bluebottles and stores their venom, meaning its strike can be deadly to any small animal that comes near it.

“I’ve been seeing them more frequently,” Mr Crisp said.

“I saw some kids looking at it and a bloke from Lismore was telling me about it and when I looked them up later that day I saw they were venomous.

He said north-easterly winds had pushed a lot of blue bottles towards shore.

“No doubt they’ve followed them in here,” he said.

“When we get strong wind for two or more days like we did this can happen.

“They are beautiful creatures, but you don’t want to be the one that gets stung.”

A number of blue dragons have been found washed up on Sharpes Beach near Ballina. Picture: Michael Crisp

Department of Primary Industries researcher Dr Matt Nimbs said blue dragons weren’t extremely rare but would hitch a ride on any current across the coast and wash up on beaches.

“They will exist wherever there are bluebottles,” he said.

“Generally they will be in tropical seas but they move around on currents and they can travel thousands of kilometres.

He said they travelled on top of the surface of the water and would show up on the shores of beaches such as Ballina when wind conditions suited.

Dr Nimbs said a sting from a blue dragon was the same as a bluebottle for a simple reason; you are what you eat.

“When you are stung by a bluebottle the stinging cell is in its tentacles and it shoots into you like a little harpoon,” he said.

He said a blue dragon could eat a bluebottle without getting stung and they could take the undeveloped ones and put them into their own tissues as a defence.

“It’s more than just the venom, it steals the whole delivery system,” Dr Nimbs said.

“This is why the sting is only as bad as a blue bottle.”