Blue dragons spotted on Texas beaches as spring break season begins

FILE -- Venomous blue dragons washing on shore along Texas beaches

The unusual-looking creatures can be identified by wing-like fins and bizarre blue markings. Venomous sea slugs have recently been spotted along beaches on North Padre and Mustang Islands.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Tiny sea creatures that can impart a painful sting have been spotted on Texas beaches this week as spring break season begins.

The backstory:

Glaucus atlanticus, better known as blue dragons, are sea slugs that float in the ocean and feed on Portuguese man-o-war, according to a Facebook post by Jace Tunnell at the Harte Research Institute. 

Why you should care:

"They store the man-o-war’s stinging cells and concentrate them, which means their sting can be extremely painful," the post read. "Even washed up on the beach, they can still sting."

According to Tunnell, blue dragons are only about an inch long. That means they can sometimes be easy to miss. 

"If you see one, take a photo – but look and don’t touch," Tunnell wrote in the post.

Dig deeper:

Strong onshore winds are pushing lots of ocean drifters onto Texas beaches, according to the post. These include Portuguese man-o-wars, blue buttons, by-the-wind sailors and purple sea snails.

What they're saying:

"When I show organisms like blue dragons, my goal is education and awareness," Tunnell said Friday. "I always tell people not to pick them up, because their sting can be quite painful and some individuals may have stronger reactions. In the video and the photos on Facebook, I handled them carefully to show people what they look like and to help them recognize them if they see one on the beach."

Tunnell said he found the blue dragons during a weekly survey of beaches from Surfside Beach in Brazoria County to Padre Island National Seashore.