{"id":102192,"date":"2025-08-28T02:03:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T02:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/102192\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T02:03:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T02:03:08","slug":"spanish-beaches-close-after-sightings-of-stinging-blue-dragon-sea-slugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/102192\/","title":{"rendered":"Spanish beaches close after sightings of stinging blue dragon sea slugs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/a> <\/p>\n

The unusual-looking creatures can be identified by wing-like fins and bizarre blue markings. Venomous sea slugs have recently been spotted along beaches on North Padre and Mustang Islands.<\/p>\n

GUARDAMAR DEL SEGURA, Spain \u2013 Recent sightings of a tiny blue sea slug with a powerful sting have closed beaches<\/a> in southeastern Spain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blue Dragon sea slugs are around an inch long and have unique blue markings and tendrils that look like wings, creating the slug’s dragon-like appearance.<\/p>\n

According to police in Guardamar del Segura<\/a>, beaches in the area were closed twice in just one week at the end of August because of the sea slug’s presence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

WHAT ARE THESE ALIEN-LOOKING SLUGS THAT CAN WASH ONTO BEACHES?<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Blue <\/p>\n

Blue dragon or Floating sea slug<\/p>\n

(Photo by DeAgostini\/Getty Images \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

On Aug. 20, the police took to Facebook to warn of the danger. Three days later on Aug. 23, the beaches were closed again for swimming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Due to the massive appearance of the Blue Dragon (Glaucus atlanticus), and for citizen safety<\/a> reasons, SWIMMING is PROHIBITED on all beaches of the municipality until further notice,” they said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blue dragon sea slugs’ venom is very powerful, and touching one, even through gloves, can cause a painful sting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, blue dragon sea slugs are ocean<\/a> drifters, meaning they’re carried by wind<\/a> and ocean currents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

FIRST US HUMAN CASE OF FLESH-EATING PARASITE DETECTED IN MARYLAND<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The National Park Service that during periods of strong, onshore winds, Blue Sea Dragons or what are known as Glaucus atlanticus can wash ashore beaches.<\/p>\n

(Cape Hatteras National Seashore \/ FOX Weather)<\/p>\n

Jace Tunnell, with the Harte Research Institute<\/a>, told FOX Weather the sea slugs feed off Portuguese man o’ war<\/a>, which are closely related to jellyfish and are typically found offshore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Man o’ war can wash up on beaches and deliver a painful sting to someone who touches one. Their venomous food sources are also why the sea slugs can sting if you pick one up or step on a blue dragon.<\/p>\n

If you do happen to be stung by a blue dragon sea slug, vinegar and warm water can help provide pain relief.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The unusual-looking creatures can be identified by wing-like fins and bizarre blue markings. Venomous sea slugs have recently…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":102193,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[49,48,66,323],"class_list":{"0":"post-102192","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-science","11":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102192"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102192\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}