{"id":90028,"date":"2025-08-24T18:16:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T18:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/90028\/"},"modified":"2025-08-24T18:16:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T18:16:09","slug":"canarian-weekly-dangerous-blue-dragon-forces-beach-closure-in-lanzarote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/90028\/","title":{"rendered":"Canarian Weekly – Dangerous \u2018blue dragon\u2019 forces beach closure in Lanzarote"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

23-08-2025
\n Lanzarote<\/a>
\n Canarian Weekly
\n Photo Credit: DA<\/p>\n

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

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

La Canter\u00eda beach in \u00d3rzola, Lanzarote, was temporarily closed this week after lifeguards and bathers reported sightings of several blue dragons (Glaucus atlanticus), a striking but highly dangerous species of sea creature.<\/p>\n

Although tiny and beautiful with their metallic blue and silver colours, these creatures are far from harmless. Experts warn that touching them, even if they appear dead on the sand, can cause serious health problems.<\/p>\n

The blue dragon feeds on venomous jellyfish, such as the Portuguese man o\u2019 war, and stores their toxins in its own body. This means that a single sting can cause severe pain, skin irritation, vomiting, fever, and, in some cases, more serious allergic reactions.<\/p>\n

This is not the first time the species has been spotted in the Canary Islands. In recent weeks, conditions at sea \u2013 including winds and currents \u2013 have carried them onto various parts of the Lanzarote coastline. They were also recently reported in El M\u00e9dano and Leocadio Machado beaches in Tenerife, prompting warnings from local authorities.<\/p>\n

Authorities strongly advise the public not to touch these creatures under any circumstances, whether in the water or stranded on the shore. Instead, beachgoers should notify lifeguards or emergency services so that the animals can be safely removed.<\/p>\n

Safety advice if you encounter a blue dragon<\/p>\n


\nDo not touch it, even if it looks dead or washed up.
\nAlert lifeguards or call 112 (the emergency number in Spain and the Canary Islands).
\nIf stung:
\n
\nRinse the affected area with seawater (not fresh water, vinegar, or alcohol, which can worsen the sting).
\nCarefully remove any tentacle fragments with a stick or gloves, never with bare hands.
\nApply a cold pack (wrapped in cloth) to reduce pain and swelling.
\nSeek medical attention immediately, especially if you experience breathing difficulties, dizziness, or a severe allergic reaction.
\n <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

\"Spring<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"23-08-2025 Lanzarote Canarian Weekly Photo Credit: DA La Canter\u00eda beach in \u00d3rzola, Lanzarote, was temporarily closed this week…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":90029,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[4823,44976,24374,44977,90,56,54,55,4407],"class_list":["post-90028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-beach","tag-blue-dragon","tag-jellyfish","tag-lanzarote","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90028\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}