Overview
- The Harte Research Institute’s Jace Tunnell documented about 20 Glaucus atlanticus along a short stretch of North Padre Island this week.
- By Friday, Tunnell said reports had also come in from Galveston and Surfside Beach, indicating the strandings are being seen along much of the Texas coast.
- Blue dragons feed on Portuguese man‑o’‑war and concentrate their stinging cells, which can deliver extremely painful stings even after washing ashore or dying.
- Strong onshore winds are pushing open‑ocean drifters onto beaches, including Portuguese man‑o’‑war, blue buttons, by‑the‑wind sailors and purple sea snails.
- Officials advise people to look but not touch and to take photos instead, noting the animals are only about an inch long and easy to miss among beach debris.