A marine wildlife expert pushed his luck when he decided to pick up one of the deadliest ever sea creatures – known as blue death – with his bare hands.
The 21-year-old Julian Obayd – or Juliano Bayd as everyone calls him – told Newsflash in an interview that he loves spending his time at the beach near his home in Queensland, Australia and learning about marine life.
But his latest video showing him collecting blue sea dragons with his bare fingers might well have been his last.
Julain is seen scooping up four of the highly toxic sea slugs to return to the sea.
Blue dragons have particularly potent venom, borrowed from their favourite prey, the jellyfish-like Portuguese man o’ war.
They can eat and store the creature’s lethal venom which makes their frilly tentacles extremely painful to touch.
Sometimes the creatures do not sting but when they do it can result in pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
A sting from a blue dragon can be so powerful it could kill a human.
Julian said: “The blue dragon is otherwise known as Glaucus atlanticus.
“These animals eat man o’ wars and if you get stung there’s a chance you might die.
Conservationist’s Study Of Venomous Blue Sea Dragons
A marine conservationist has revealed the secrets of one of the ocean’s most beautiful but dangerous creatures.
“They aren’t actually naturally venomous. When they eat man o’ wars they steal the venom and they pack it in those little tentacles they have to deliver a more potent blow.
“This animal should probably be avoided if found.”
But contrary to his own advice, Juliano gently carries a few of the deadly stingers into the water at the tip of his fingers.
He does not even seem to mind that he previously fell victim to the exotic creatures’ aching stings.
A video called, ‘Failed Rescuer Mission’, which went viral a few months ago, shows him rescuing a bucketful of blue dragons.
But as he returns them to the sea the waves bring them back to sting him.
Julian explained that the blue dragon is, “a highly venomous sea slug that uses venom collected from their diet of blue bottles.
He said: “They release it from their ceratas (those little tentacle things).
“I call it a Pokemon because of the intriguing shape and vibrant colours.”
In another piece of footage, Julian can be seen repeatedly attempting to pop what he jokingly referred to as a ‘balloon animal’ – but is actually a dried-up venom-filled man o’ war.
His followers on TikTok – where he posted the video – were shocked at how bold he was for punching a critter that can deliver a painful sting even when dead.
The Portuguese man o’ war is a predatory species which uses its tentacles to sting and paralyse small fish to feed on.
Only a few species eat the Portuguese man o’ war, and the blue dragon is one of them.
Julian explained: “The balloon animal I pop in that video is a dried man o’ war, man o’ wars are not actually jellyfish contrary to popular belief.
“They are a siphonophore which basically means they are made up of little colonies of different animals that specialise in keeping it alive.
“Really interesting creatures that have a really powerful sting even after they’ve died.”
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: Simona Kitanovska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
The Ananova page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.
