![]() ![]() The country has some of the lowest vaccination rates in western Europe. The states of Salzburg and Upper Austria will enter a month-long full lockdown next week, regardless of the outcome of the talks between regional leaders and Alexander Schallenberg, the conservative Chancellor. Neighbouring Austria, which this week became the first European country to lock down the unvaccinated, will hold talks over a full federal shutdown on Friday amid unconfirmed reports of bodies being stored in overcrowded hospital corridors. If virus rates rise further, governors would be empowered to take more draconian measures, including against the vaccinated. "It is absolutely time to act," Mrs Merkel said, announcing measures stopping the unvaccinated from visiting bars, restaurants and theatres if hospitalisation rates became too high. Police officers in a cafe in Innsbruck, Austria, monitor compliance with the lockdown in Innsbruck, Austriaria - Jan Hetfleisch/Getty ImagesĪngela Merkel, the German chancellor, left the door open to lockdown restrictions as she said "unspecified" measures would be introduced in the worst-hit states. You can help blue dragons and all the creatures that rely on the ocean by acting on climate before it’s too late.Amanda Holden shares holiday photo with daughter, 16, and fans say they look more like sistersĮurope is staring down the barrel of full lockdowns as the fourth wave of Covid brings sweeping restrictions even for vaccinated people. Blue dragons are evidence that no animal is too small to feel the effects of our changing climate. This is likely because of the impacts of climate change on ocean temperatures, storms, Portuguese Man O’War populations and more. Researchers are finding them for the first time in new places like Taiwan or the Padres Island National Seashore in Texas. What is known is the range in which you see blue dragons is changing. Therefore, it is hard to know if the number of blue dragons is growing or shrinking. ![]() It’s like looking for a splendid blue needle in a gigantic wet haystack. These creatures are so small that getting reliable estimates about their population is hard. This results in strings of dozens of eggs that they lay gently down on whatever is near them, sometimes even on the corpse of their last meal! Are blue dragons endangered? They mate with long S-shaped organs that help them get it on without touching each other’s stingy bits. Blue dragons are hermaphrodites which means they have both male and female parts. You think online dating is hard? Try finding a mate when your body is full of siphonophore venom. © Peter Woodard/ Wikimedia How do blue dragons mate? It’s drabber silver front faces down below disguising itself better with the darker tone found under the sea. The blue dragon spends a lot of time floating belly up, displaying its brightest baby blues to anyone on the surface where it is more likely to blend in with the brighter sunny shades above the waves. The bright blue color helps them camouflage into the splendorous hues of the ocean itself. So best not to give it a try and leave these little beauties along if you find them on a shoreline near you. If you did get stung by one, it would likely result in welts and excruciating pain. Their venom can remain active even after they die, so you should take caution not to pick up or step on any you see on the beach. Since the blue dragon stores up the stinging-cells from Portuguese Man O’War, their sting can be several times worse than their siphonophore prey. This video dives deeper into how this incredible feat is accomplished: Once consumed, they store the stinging-cells that make a Man O’War such a literal pain in the tips of their tendril-like extremities. It then attacks using jagged teeth like a serrated knife that helps them dismember the Man O’War and in a shocking turn of events, steal their venom. This allows them to basically crawl on the undersurface of the water where the tentacles of the Man O’War float. Inside the stomach of a blue dragon is a tiny air bubble which helps it float through the water. They might be 300 times bigger and venomous, but they’re no match for a blue dragon’s appetite. What do blue dragons eat?Īlways one to feast in style, the blue dragon’s favorite food is a Portuguese Man O’War, another creature you don’t want to touch when you’re out in the ocean. These slugs typically don’t grow larger than 3 centimeters, or about the size of a grape. Dragons conjure up the image of huge menacing T-rex-sized beasts, but if you were an ancient knight sent off to fight this blue dragon, your sword wouldn’t need to be any larger than a toothpick. ![]() While blue dragons are found in many places around the world, most people rarely grab glimpses of them due to their size. Thanks for signing up for Ocean Conservancy emails.
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