A venomous and ‘rarely seen’ marine creature – which feeds on the toxins of the jellyfish-like Portuguese man-of-war – has stormed Texas beaches en masse, scientists have warned.
Marine biologists spotted these dangerous “blue dragons,” a surface-skimming sea snail, on Sunday along North Padre Island, just south of Corpus Christi, Texas.
“Warning: Don’t touch the blue dragon!” a local research institute alerted their followers on social media and posted a researcher’s photos of the venomous, blue creature.
“If threatened or touched,” the institute said, “it can release stinging cells with more powerful stings than the Portuguese man-of-war can do alone!”
This “blue wave,” which researchers say is just beginning thanks to next spring’s strong southeasterly winds, has also inundated Texas beaches with toxic wars and “thousands” of predatory “downwind sailors,” with more on the way.
Marine biologists spotted these dangerous “blue dragons,” a surface-skimming sea snail (above), this Sunday along North Padre Island, just south of Corpus Christi, Texas
This ‘blue wave’ – which researchers say has only just begun thanks to the coming spring’s strong south-easterly winds – has swamped Texas beaches with venomous Portuguese warships and ‘thousands’ of predatory sailors (seen above). ), and there are more to come
Jace Tunnell, a marine conservationist who ‘Beachcombingseries for the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, spotted the stranded blue dragons on Sunday during an expedition to North Padre Island.
“I’m at the beach all the time, so when I find something new or rare I’m always intrigued,” Tunnell told DailyMail.com. “Once I found the blue dragon, I knew I wanted to take pictures of it without touching it.”
And despite their bright blue hues, the venomous dragons can be difficult to spot.
The sea slug is typically no more than an inch in length and its multicolored color is meant to blend in with both the blue of the ocean and the sky – making the dragon ‘a master of disguises’ according to Australian marine ecologist Dr. Steve Smith .
“If someone were stung by a blue dragon,” Tunnell explained to DailyMail.com via email, “it would be intense pain for about an hour.”
“People may experience nausea and a feeling of needles piercing the skin,” he said. “Anyone who’s been stabbed by a warship knows what I’m talking about.”
“I’ve been stung by many,” Tunnell said. ‘I’m a surfer. LOL.’
These painful toxins in a blue dragon, formally known as a Glaucus Atlanticus sea slug, arises from its parasitic-like feeding on the 30-foot tentacles of its more innately venomous host, the Portuguese man-of-war.
The blue dragon is immune to the warship’s toxins and collects the substance for its own self-defense, housing increasing concentrations in the finger-like tips of its wing-like appendages, called cerata.
“Every spring we get a strong southeasterly wind that brings in all kinds of interesting objects from the Gulf,” said Tunnell, who scooped up his specimens with a small, clear bucket for his own safety.
Although increasingly powerful ‘Category Six’ mega-hurricanes are expected for the Gulf of Mexico due to climate change, the marine researcher noted that while the arrival of the G. atlanticus blue dragon was rare, it was not uncommon.
“I don’t believe this is related to climate change,” he said, “just a normal seasonal pattern that we see along the coast here.”
The blue dragon (left) is immune to the warship’s toxins and collects the substance for its own self-defense, housing increasing concentrations in the finger-like tips of their wing-like appendages, called cerata. On the right, a stranded ‘downwind sailor’ up close
The blue dragons drain the stinging cells from the warship (pictured) they eat and concentrate those cells, meaning their stings can be stronger than those of a warship
Marine ecologist Dr. Steve Smith, director of Southern Cross University’s National Marine Science Centre, described the evolutionary logic of the ‘blue dragon’ sea slug’s vibrant blue color as an example of ‘countershading’.
But fortunately, as marine ecologist Dr. Steve Smith from Southern Cross University has previously told us Australian geographicthe creature doesn’t always attack people.
“I’ve picked them up many times and haven’t been stung,” Dr. Smith, an expert on sea snails such as the blue dragon, wrote the paper during a series of observations in 2017.
“They don’t look like bluebottles (another name for the Portuguese man-of-war),” he said.
“They may have the ability to sting, but that doesn’t mean they will do it every time.”
Because the parasitic or symbiotic ‘blue dragon’ snail slithers along the surface of the ocean alongside its warships, it has adopted a light blue underbelly to better match the sky and a dark blue color above to blend in with the sea. surface
Dr. Smith, director of Southern Cross University’s National Marine Science Centre, also described the evolutionary logic behind the sea slug’s vibrant blue color, calling it an example of ‘countershading’.
Because the parasitic or symbiotic sea slug slithers along the ocean surface alongside its war host, it has adopted a light blue underbelly to better match the sky and a dark blue color above to blend in with the sea surface.
According to Dr. Smith, the technique makes the creature less visible to predators.
In a Feb. 12 advisory post on Facebook, Tunnell’s employers at the Harte Research Institute warned Texans to expect more small, venomous blue dragons along their coastline throughout the spring.
“This is just the first ‘blue wave’ of these organisms washing ashore together,” the institute said in its post.
“Every spring when a strong southeasterly wind blows, we get a wave of warships, downwind sailors, blue knots and the organisms that feed on them,” they noted, “the rarely seen blue dragon.”
“You can expect this to happen more often as spring approaches.”