Creepy, venomous creatures wash ashore in Spanish hotspot

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

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

“For motives of citizenry safety, we have banned all swimming on all of the municipal beaches until a new order,” the Guardamar police power stated in a Facebook post.

Despite its lovely look, the blue dragon is a doubtlessly lethal kind of sea slug.

Measuring simply 3 to 4 centimeters in size, these nudibranchs are hardly ever 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.

The blue dragon feeds on venomous prey just like the Portuguese man o’ warfare 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 device” was deployed to observe the shoreline for extra of the creatures.

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

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

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