Head to head
Blue Button vs Blue Dragon Sea Slug
The blue button and the blue dragon sea slug are both small blue animals adrift on the open ocean surface, but their relationship is anything but equal, the blue dragon is one of the blue button's natural predators.
| Blue Button | Blue Dragon Sea Slug | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Porpita porpita | Glaucus atlanticus |
| Classification | A colonial hydrozoan | A sea slug |
| Role in the relationship | Prey | Predator |
| Sting | Generally mild, from its own stinging cells | Potentially very painful, using cells stolen from prey |
| Movement | Drifts passively with wind and current | Drifts upside down, countershaded for camouflage |
| Typical size | A small disc-shaped float | Usually 1 to 3 cm long |
| Defence | Its own stinging tentacles | Stolen stinging cells concentrated in its cerata |
| Conservation status | Not Evaluated | Not Evaluated |
Blue Button vs Blue Dragon Sea Slug: common questions
Does the blue dragon sea slug actually eat the blue button?
Yes, the blue button is one of several floating prey items the blue dragon sea slug feeds on, alongside the Portuguese man o' war and the by-the-wind sailor.
Which has the more painful sting, the blue button or the blue dragon?
The blue dragon's sting is typically far more painful, since it concentrates the most potent stinging cells stolen from its prey, including the blue button, into dense clusters within its own body.
Are the blue button and blue dragon sea slug closely related?
No, they belong to entirely different groups; the blue button is a colonial hydrozoan, while the blue dragon is a sea slug, a type of mollusk, and the two are connected only through a predator-prey relationship.