Twenty eight years since The Little Mermaid took us under the sea, exciting marine life is now popping up down under.

While the Blue Dragon Sea Slug doesn't talk, sing or dance like Ariel the mermaid and her fishy mates, it has evolved so far as to create its own shield to rival that of Captain America.

Professor Steve Smith with sea slugs at Clifton Gardens. Credit:James Brickwood

The sea creature, which looks like a translucent Troll doll with blue hair, has the ability to eat "stinging nettle" type plants and use them as a protective layer against enemies after it digests them without triggering the poison, according to scientists at Southern Cross University.

Professor Steve Smith considers the animals to be "some of the most amazing looking marine creatures you will ever see."