Researchers warned beachgoers not to touch them.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Stunning but dangerous sea slugs known as “blue dragons” are washing ashore on Texas beaches, the Harte Research Institute warned this week, urging beachgoers to admire the creatures from a distance.
Researchers with the institute spotted around 20 blue dragons (Glaucus atlanticus) washed up along a short stretch of beach. The tiny creatures, which measure only about 1 to 3 centimeters long, can be easy to miss among other washed-up marine life.
They were spotted on North Padre Island and Mustang Island.
The institute warned that despite their striking appearance, blue dragons pack a painful sting. The animals feed on Portuguese man-o-war in the open ocean and store their prey’s stinging cells, concentrating them in a way that makes their own sting extremely painful. They can still sting even after washing ashore.
Strong onshore winds are currently pushing an entire community of blue ocean drifters onto the beach. Mixed in with the blue dragons are Portuguese man-o-war, blue buttons, by-the-wind sailors and purple sea snails, a group of oceanographers sometimes call the “Blue Wave.”
The institute urged anyone who spots a blue dragon to photograph it, but keep their hands to themselves.
“If you see one, take a photo, but look and don’t touch,” the institute said in its post. “The ocean is amazing, but sometimes the most beautiful creatures come with a sting.”
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