Thousands of beautiful but toxic sea creatures washing up on Texas shores
Thousands of beautiful but dangerous sea creatures are washing up on Texas’ coast — bungling plans for many spring breakers.
The blue dragons — which are shell-less mollusks known as “the most beautiful killer in the ocean” — popped up in droves along the shores of North Padre Island Sunday for the first time this year, officials at the Harte Research Institute said.
Experts posted a series of breathtaking photos of the stunning blue dragons, but offered a starch warning not to get too close to the tiny predator.
“When threatened or touched, it can release stinging cells with more powerful stings than the Portuguese man o’ war can alone! That’s why we recommend just taking photos and not touching,” the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s marine research institute said on Facebook.
The thousands of blue dragons were blown in over the weekend by the strong southeast winds that Texas experiences every spring, according to the institute.
The creatures themselves are partly blown in by the waves, but are also in hot pursuit of the other venomous aquatic critters they feed on that are swept by the gusts, including man-o-wars, by the wind sailors and blue buttons.
Blue dragons — also known by their less-glamorous scientific name, Glaucus atlanticus sea slug — feed on the toxins of the species and process their cells to zap predators with an even stronger sting, which can cause nausea, pain and vomiting.
Although only about an inch long, Blue dragons have enough power to send a human to the hospital with a single sting.
As if spending one’s spring break avoiding the tiny, but poisonous creatures isn’t enough, experts warn that thousands of more blue dragons will visit the coast in the coming weeks.
“This is just the first “blue wave” of these organisms washing in together. You can expect to see this happening more as we get into spring with strong southeast winds blowing them onshore. Happy beachcombing!” the Harte Research Institute said.
