‘Blue dragons’ appearing on Texas beaches don’t breathe fire, but be careful near them
_fitted.png "‘Blue dragons,’ like the one pictured, have been showing up on beaches along the Texas Gulf Coast in recent days. It’s important to look but not touch, experts say.")
“Blue dragons” are washing up on Texas Gulf Coast beaches, photos show, and while the brightly colored sea creatures may be tempting to touch, odds are good you’d regret it.
A type of sea slug with the scientific name Glaucus atlanticus, the blue dragons have been spotted in the sand and surf at Mustang Island State Park, as well as the Mission-Aransas Reserve near Corpus Christi in recent days.
“Seasonal wind driven currents” are bringing them ashore, Mustang Island officials said.
While they rarely grow larger than 3 centimeters long, according to Oceana, the tiny blue dragons are quite fierce, preying on sea life much larger than themselves, and able to deliver painful stings to perceived threats.
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The Portuguese man-o-war — a creature that looks like a jellyfish and stings like a jellyfish, but isn’t a jellyfish — is a favorite prey for blue dragons, experts say.
Not only are they a good source of food, but the dragons also take the man-o-war’s venom and use it for their own protection.
They concentrate that venom into the little tendrils or “fingers” on the sides of their bodies, allowing them to retaliate with a sting even “more painful” than a man-o-war’s, according to Padre Island National Seashore.
Their diet of man-o-wars and blue button jellies is also the source of blue dragons’ color, which helps them blend in under water.
“They are a rare find,” experts say, “but also keep your distance.”
This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 11:59 AM with the headline "‘Blue dragons’ appearing on Texas beaches don’t breathe fire, but be careful near them."