Blue Dragons In Texas: A Visual Delight With A Venomous Sting

According to USA Today, Blue Dragons are washing up on Texas beaches, and officials warn Spring Breakers not to touch them. Touching them can ruin a day at the beach, so anyone visiting Texas beaches should beware and avoid touching the tiny but powerfully toxic sea creatures.

The tiny slug is a blue glaucus, a sea swallow, a blue angel, and a dragon. Despite its stunning look, it is recommended that beachgoers only take photos and avoid touching them.

"It's a real pretty iridescent blue and silver, "says Jace Tunnell, a marine biologist at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. That's why people want to touch them." They're bright blue and white with appendages that look like wings going down their side, and, according to Oceana, they can grow up to 1.2 inches.

The dragons live on top of the water and float upside down. He says the blue side makes them look like water to a bird, while the silver bottom side looks like the sky to any fish craving a snack.

Since the dragons like to chow down on man-o-wars and store their venom for later, the same methods one would use to treat a man-o-war sting can be used for blue dragon stings.

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Tunnell says pouring hot water and vinegar will help deactivate the toxins. He says the pain can last for one to three hours without that.

Folks will still feel pain after pouring vinegar and hot water, but it won't be as intense. Pain pills, however, will become a blue dragon's victim's best friend for the day.