Glaucus Atlanticus

Despite its impressive arsenal of defense tactics, the blue glaucus rarely reaches more
than 3 centimeters long. And, unlike most benthic nudibranchs, this species lives
throughout the entire water column. An air bubble stored in its stomach keeps the
nudibranch afloat. The creature often floats on its backside, showing its brightly colored
underbelly to airborne predators. The bright blue color acts as camouflage against the
backdrop of ocean waves while the animal’s grayish backside blends with the bright sea
surface, concealing it from predators below. This is an example of a phenomenon
known as countershading, helping the creature to avoid both flying and swimming
predators while floating in open water. 
Like other sea slug species, the blue gaucus isn't venomous by itself. When feeding on
its preferred prey, Portuguese man o' wars, the blue gaucus stores the stinging
nematocysts created by the prey’s notoriously long, venomous tentacles — these
tentacles may average up to 30 feet long! The stinging cells are stored and
concentrated for the future, so when the blue dragon is threatened or touched, it can
release these stinging cells to deliver a far more potent sting than the Portuguese man
o' war can alone. The blue gaucus, like all nudibranchs, is hermaphroditic — each
individual produces both eggs and sperm. An individual cannot fertilize its own eggs,
however, and pairs still must mate. Long, spiral-shaped eggs are produced by both
male and female, and often float freely in the water or stick to nearby surfaces.
Like most small marine invertebrates, little is known about the conservation status of the
blue glaucus, especially given the species’ pelagic lifestyle in the open ocean.