'Do not touch': Rare man-o'-war-eating species washing ashore on Texas coast
Beachgoers have been seeing some painful stingers, known as the species that eat Portuguese man o' war, along the shores of the Texas coast
Priscilla Aguirre
April 8, 2022
Blue Dragons, a man-o'-war-eating species, are washing up the Texas coast.
Blue Dragons, a man-o'-war-eating species, are washing up the Texas coast.
Image/Getty Images
Beachgoers have been seeing some painful stingers, known as the species that eat Portuguese man o' war, along the shores of the Texas coast. The rare, unusual blue dragons are beautiful blue creatures, but are painful, Mark Fisher, science director for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department told MySA.
Texas Parks and Wildlife posted how staff found the blue dragons washing ashore at Mustang Island State Park on Wednesday, April 6. At Bob Hall Pier in Corpus Christi, nonprofit organization Mission-Aransas Reserve also posted how its staff saw the dazzling electric-blue dragons on the shores on Wednesday.
According to Fisher, the Blue Glacus creatures are also known as blue dragons and are a form of a sea slug known as Glaucus atlanticus that swims upside down to show off its colors. He said the blue dragons typically don't get seen very often as they aren't known to wash ashore.
"It's rare and unusual for them to be blown ashore or near the shore as they live in the open ocean," Fisher said.
The 3 cm long creatures prey almost exclusively on the Portuguese man o' war, a jellyfish-like organism with painful stingers. The blue dragon basically kills man o' wars and steals their stinging toxins, then re-purposes those toxins into a defensive weapon, Fisher said.
Fisher said he believes strong winds must have shifted the blue dragons to wash ashore as they have been persistent in the southeast. He said winds just shift sometimes, causing the usual sighting on the beach.
If found on the beach, do not pick them up, Fisher warned. He said, "It can be painful." If stung, Fisher said to treat it as you would a man o' war sting where you use a combination of regular old vinegar and meat tenderizer. Mix into a paste and apply to the affected area. You are trying to neutralize the acidic compound of the poison in the sting.
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/rare-man-o-war-seen-Texas-coast-17067108.php