It eats the Portugese Man O' War, keeps all the most venomous bits for itself, stores them in its body, and then releases a concentrated version many times more deadly than the Man O' War could ever be. And it looks adorable and travels by floating along lazily on its back. It doesn't need to be a very young dragon. It is already fucking awesome.
(On the other hand, the Man O' War is actually a composite creature made up of codependent organisms fused into a single body, which is why the bits that make the venom can still sting you for up to several days after the bits that handle travel and digestion are dead. It stands to reason that those same venom-filled nematocysts can survive in the sea slug the same way, once stolen and re-housed, making the sea slug venomous for awhile death too... Though I am not a biologist, so I can neither confirm nor deny. I don't know how long the slug can keep the nematocysts alive -- whether it feeds them and cultivates them or just steals them and uses them until they starve to death and then goes to get some more -- or how active the sea slug has to be in releasing their venom. Maybe it won't happen if the sea slug can't initiate it. But still: ACK.)
They are, but the venom is released from all the feather-shaped spiky bits on its limbs and tail, so I don't think holding it on its back makes much difference. Sadly.
It seems reasonable to me that if one were raised in captivity from birth, it would have no opportunity to eat man-o-wars, and therefore would not be poisonous. That would be my guess. If not that... maybe they only sting when provoked and the fellow knows how to handle them without provoking them?
I don't know why but I have a vague memory of a soap opera from years ago where a woman had a charity that was about saving Nudibranchs. It was the first time I'd ever seen them and I've thought they were amazing ever since. I still find it totally surreal that a soap opera was responsible for introducing me to these fascinating creatures!!
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Date: 2011-04-30 01:11 pm (UTC)-- A <3
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Date: 2011-04-30 09:48 pm (UTC)Maybe it's dead.
(On the other hand, the Man O' War is actually a composite creature made up of codependent organisms fused into a single body, which is why the bits that make the venom can still sting you for up to several days after the bits that handle travel and digestion are dead. It stands to reason that those same venom-filled nematocysts can survive in the sea slug the same way, once stolen and re-housed, making the sea slug venomous for awhile death too... Though I am not a biologist, so I can neither confirm nor deny. I don't know how long the slug can keep the nematocysts alive -- whether it feeds them and cultivates them or just steals them and uses them until they starve to death and then goes to get some more -- or how active the sea slug has to be in releasing their venom. Maybe it won't happen if the sea slug can't initiate it. But still: ACK.)
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Date: 2011-05-01 09:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2011-05-01 05:10 am (UTC)"Oh! I want one as a pet! It can live in my left ear!"
...there is something wrong with me.
Soap Opera Memories...
Date: 2011-05-01 02:40 pm (UTC)