Creepy, venomous creatures wash ashore in Spanish hotspot

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Authorities in southeastern Spain had been pressured to briefly shut down a preferred stretch of sand earlier this week after two venomous sea creatures referred to as “blue dragons” had been noticed.

The city of Guardamar del Segura, positioned simply north of Torrevieja on Spain’s Mediterranean Costa Blanca, carried out a swimming ban throughout all seashores after the uncommon marine animals — scientifically named Glaucus atlanticus — had been found within the water close to Vivers Seashore.

Glaucus atlanticus are venomous sea creatures, in any other case referred to as “blue dragons.” Policia Native Guardamar / Fb

“For motives of citizenry security, we have now banned all swimming on all the municipal seashores till a brand new order,” the Guardamar police drive stated in a Facebook post .

Regardless of its lovely look, the blue dragon is a probably lethal type of sea slug.

Measuring simply 3 to 4 centimeters in size, these nudibranchs are not often seen within the Mediterranean and are extra generally discovered drifting on the floor of tropical and temperate waters within the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Their vivid blue coloring and wing-like tendrils give them an ethereal look, however their magnificence masks a harmful protection mechanism.

“We've banned all swimming on all the municipal seashores till a brand new order,” the Guardamar police drive stated in response to blue dragon sightings. Policia Native Guardamar / Fb

The blue dragon feeds on venomous prey just like the Portuguese man o’ conflict and concentrates their stinging cells in its personal tissues. This makes it extra venomous than its prey, able to delivering painful stings that may trigger nausea, vomiting, pores and skin irritation, and acute allergic reactions in people.

Mayor José Luis Sáez confirmed the sightings and rapidly issued a purple flag warning, closing seashores whereas a “preventive machine” was deployed to watch the shoreline for extra of the creatures.

The blue dragon feeds on venomous prey just like the Portuguese man o’ conflict and concentrates their stinging cells in its personal tissues. This makes it extra venomous than its prey. Cowl/Getty Photographs

Swimmers had been instructed to rinse with saltwater and search medical consideration in the event that they skilled stings or pores and skin irritation.

Whereas uncommon on this a part of the world, their look is one more reminder of the rising unpredictability of marine ecosystems, probably linked to local weather change and shifting ocean currents.

Guardamar del Segura, recognized for its sunny local weather, rocky cliffs, and golden seashores, attracts hundreds of vacationers every year. The sudden seashore closures got here on the top of the summer season season, however native officers say public security needed to take precedence.