The beautiful ‘blue dragons’ sweeping beaches look like magical Pokémon, but experts warn travellers to stay away.

Travelers, be warned: Pokémon-like toxic blue dragons are washing up on Texas beaches. The ocean is full of mysterious creatures, many of which humans only ever catch rare glimpses of. Enter: blue “dragons,”  or blue sea slugs, a species whose proper name is Glaucus atlanticus. They are a stunning (and stinging) species that has recently been washing up on Texas beaches, thwarting the plans of many a spring breaker.

The “blue dragons” arrived there not exactly by accident but because blue sea slugs tend to go with the flow—literally. David Campbell, a Texas-based marine biologist and the founder of the MarineBio Conservation Society, says that’s not because of their happy-go-lucky attitude but because they simply aren’t very strong. “They are very weak swimmers and go with where the wind and currents take them,” he explains.

Wherever these blue creatures go, they float upside down. But while sea slugs might be drifters, they aren’t all that welcoming, which is why the sightings have prompted some Texas organizations, such as the Harte Research Institute, dedicated to the conservation of the Gulf of Mexico, to issue words of caution to spring breakers and other curious beachgoers.

“Warning: do not touch the blue dragon!” Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi marine biologist and Harte’s director of community engagement, Jace Tunnell, wrote in a Facebook post.

He noted that spring winds are to blame for the appearance of certain species, such as man-o-wars, blue buttons (jellyfish-like creatures), and these “rarely seen” blue dragons arriving at the shore. “The Glaucus atlanticus sea slug, or blue dragon, is a pelagic nudibranch that sails on the surface of the ocean,” Tunnell continued. “They are typically just an inch long and feed on the toxins of much larger species, such as Portuguese man o’ wars, which have tentacles around 30 feet.” Commenters and marine biologists alike seem to agree that the creatures—blue, iridescent, and birdlike—resemble a Pokémon character. And the method blue sea slugs use for stinging is almost as fascinating as their appearance: Tunnell says they eat man-o-war tentacles and remove their stinging cells. Then, they store them in their feather appendages for later use, to release when they’re agitated.

“That’s what makes them so dangerous, since they can release the stinging cells all at once,” he explains. “It can be three times the intensity of a man-of-war due to that.”

It’s also a pain Campbell has felt personally. “I stepped on one on a beach in Australia as a child, and my father still has the scars on his hands from trying to help me,” he says.

How travellers can stay safe

Currently, the species are showing up on Texas beaches in high numbers, which Tunnell stresses makes warnings about touching them, such as the one he issued “absolutely necessary,”  adding that he received an email this week from a woman on South Padre Island who saw at least 60 of the species on shore.

Campbell agrees that warnings are also necessary because, when it comes to these beautiful but dangerous creatures, he says, “People do very silly things, and touching small, pretty things is all too common.” He adds that there are increasing occurrences of travellers taking pictures alongside dangerous wildlife—even frighteningly dangerous species such as the blue-ringed octopus, which is the most deadly cephalopod.

Isabel McClelland, an environmental educator based in Maryland, says that social media and the desire to share interesting images of wild creatures frequently lead people to make poor decisions about getting too close to wildlife that they know little about. She hopes that, when it comes to blue sea slugs, “understanding where they get their toxins” may “deter people from handling them.”.

Still, she feels that social media is more often a positive force for wildlife preservation. There are countless organizations posting on social media, from environmental agencies on the local, state, and federal levels to independent nature centers and nonprofits, “with the intent to spread awareness of the importance of environmental and wildlife conservation, sustainability, and ways that everyday individuals can participate in that and make their small impact in their little corners of the world,”  McClelland explains. “And it also shines a light on the fact that an immense number of people around the world do care and want to make a difference.”

Blue dragons are certainly stunning to look at, but, according to the experts, that’s all people should do: look, don’t touch, and perhaps photograph from a safe distance away.