Thousands of beautiful but dangerous marine creatures are washing up on Texas beaches, and many spring break plans are in vain.
Blue dragons, a shellless mollusk known as “the sea’s most beautiful killers,” appeared in large numbers Sunday along the coast of North Padre Island for the first time this year, Hart Institute officials announced.
Experts have posted breathtaking photos of stunning blue dragons, but have warned people not to get too close to the tiny predators.
“When threatened or touched, they can release nematocysts with stronger stingers than a Portuguese warman could do on their own. That’s why we recommend you don’t touch them, just take pictures.” Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Oceanographic Institute he said on Facebook.
The institute said thousands of blue dragons were blown away over the weekend by the strong southeast winds that Texas experiences every spring.
Some of the creatures themselves are also blown away by the waves, but other poisonous aquatic creatures, such as the Man-O-War, are carried away by the gusts of wind, in hot pursuit by the Balloon Sailor and the Blue Button.
Blue dragons, also known by the less glamorous scientific name Glaucus atlanticus nudibranchs, feed on these toxins and process cells with even more powerful stingers that can cause nausea, pain, and vomiting. Defeat the predator.
Blue dragons are only about an inch long, but have enough power to send a human to the hospital with a single sting.
As if spending your spring break dodging the small but venomous creatures wasn’t enough, experts are warning that thousands more blue dragons will visit our shores in the coming weeks.
“This is just the first ‘blue wave’ of these creatures coming together. We expect this phenomenon to occur even more in the spring when strong southeasterly winds begin to blow over land. Have fun beachcombing! ” revealed by the Heart Institute.
