Blue dragon-looking sea slugs have been washing up on Texas beaches this past week, and you may be wondering: what in the world is this? We're wondering the same thing.
These little guys are actually a species of Nudibranch, or sea slug, formally known as Blue Glaucus. You can identify them by their electric blue markings, and angel wing-like fins that look like something out of a sci-fi film.
As eerily cute as they look, scientists say to not touch them because their sting is quite similar to the one of the creature they feed on: Portuguese man o' war (small predatory animals). And that sting packs a punch.
A blue dragon inside a vile with a beach in the background.Jace Tunnell | University of Texas, Marine Science Institute
According to American Oceans, "The Blue Glaucus not only eats it, but it also recycles the stinging cells from the Portuguese man-of-war to use as their own protective devices."
Beach sightings of these guys are pretty rare here in the U.S..
According to the Mission-Aransas Preserve, the recent strong onshore winds along the Texas coast have pushed the Blue Glaucus further inland, which gives them a larger chance of getting washed ashore.
There have been multiple sightings on Corpus Christi beaches since last week, and one is going viral on TikTok.
On one video, user @leigh_viv describes seeing a blue dragon while visiting Whitecap Beach in Corpus Christi, Texas last weekend.
Beware, even if you choose not to venture into the water, they still make their way onshore and dry up — something marine biologists nicknamed "blue buttons".