Australian beachgoers are being urged to pay attention to a eye-catching sea creature which will look fairly however can truly ship a nasty sting.
Dozens of blue dragons, or glaucus atlanticus, have been washing up on NSW and Queensland seashores this month, prompting one ocean professional’s warning to beachgoers concerning the risks the brightly coloured sea slugs can pose.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Man stung by blue dragons at Aussie seashore.
Watch the newest information and stream without cost on 7plus >>
Specialists say their measurement means most beachgoers don’t see the blue dragons till they’ve washed ashore – however swimmers might really feel their presence within the water, since their stings pack fairly a punch.
That is as a result of the animal eats creatures just like the venomous Portuguese man o’ warfare and shops its prey’s stinging cells — known as cnidocytes — in sacs, mentioned David Hicks, director of the College of Texas College of Earth, Environmental and Marine Sciences.
Blue dragons will then use these deadly cells to guard them from predators and people can generally get caught within the crossfire.
The ache of being stung feels much like a person o’ warfare sting, which will be fairly painful and, in uncommon situations, life-threatening.
Marine biology fanatic Julian Obayd is aware of this sense all too effectively.
The Queensland scholar has been documenting his expertise discovering and releasing the creatures on seashores alongside the Gold Coast.
“It hurts like hell,” he says in a single TikTok clip wherein he reveals the aftermath of being stung by a number of blue dragons when making an attempt to launch them again into the water.
He informed Yahoo Information Australia that he has seen extra blue dragons washing ashore in January than any earlier 12 months.
The brightly coloured sea slugs are present in temperate and tropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.
In Australia, the species is discovered principally alongside the mainland’s south-east coast, from southern Queensland to northern Victoria, Australian Geographic reviews. It has not been reported in Tasmanian waters.
The ocean creatures have lately been turning up in areas the place they haven’t been seen earlier than.
It’s believed that this can be as a result of warming oceans and elevated storm exercise as a result of local weather change.
Signs of a blue dragon sting can embody nausea and vomiting, in line with American Oceans.
If you’re stung by a blue dragon, it’s best to go to a hospital for remedy, in line with that Ocean Info.
– With CNN
