Venomous ‘blue dragons’ washing up on South Texas beaches
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Beachgoers along the South Texas coast are being warned to look at, but definitely not touch, dozens of rare and brilliantly colored sea slugs, known as blue dragons, washed up on North Padre and Mustang islands this week — just as spring break crowds descend on the Gulf Coast.
Jace Tunnell of the Harte Research Institute posted images of blue dragons on Facebook on Tuesday, claiming to have found about 20 of them on a short stretch of beach on North Padre Island and Mustang Island. “These little creatures are absolutely stunning, but do NOT touch them,” the post read. Additional sightings were also reported on Surfside Beach.
The creatures, known scientifically as *Glaucus atlanticus*, measure between 1 and 3 centimeters long – barely more than a quarter – but feature a stinger that is extremely disproportionate to their size. Blue dragons feed on the tentacles of the Portuguese man-of-war and store these stinging cells in their appendages. When agitated, stepped on, or picked up, they release these concentrated cells all at once, delivering a sting that can be three times as intense as a man-of-war sting and last for hours.
In very rare cases, serious allergic reactions to a blue dragon sting have proven fatal, Tunnell warned, adding that anyone stung should seek immediate help from a rescuer or medical personnel. Pouring vinegar or applying warm water can help relieve mild pain from a sting.
Tunnell pointed to the region’s strong seasonal southeast winds as the cause of these sightings – these winds push the drifting slugs on the surface and their food sources, the man o’ war, towards shore each spring. Blue dragons are typically found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, and their small size – combined with how quickly they dry out and become unrecognizable in the sun – means they often go unnoticed even when present.
Even when washed up and dead on the beach, blue dragons can still sting, Tunnell noted. His advice to anyone who sees one: photograph it, admire it from a good distance and leave it alone. If you want to move it towards the water, use a shovel and not your hands.
No injuries have been confirmed following the current wave of sightings.
