Beaches in Spanish Tourist Hotspot Shut After Rare, Venomous Sea Slugs Found
Authorities have closed 11 kilometers of beaches after sightings of venomous Blue Dragons, which deliver painful stings causing nausea and vomiting, to protect public safety, officials said.
- Rare poisonous sea creatures called 'blue dragons' were spotted on beaches near Torrevieja, Spain, prompting swimming bans along a 7-mile stretch of coastline.
- The 'blue dragons', known scientifically as Glaucus atlanticus, absorb stinging cells from their prey and can cause nausea, pain, vomiting, and skin rashes if stung.
- Despite the ban, beaches remained crowded with holidaymakers, although fewer people were swimming, and authorities warned against touching the venomous sea slugs.
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41 Articles

The bite of this creature can cause abdominal pain and vomiting in the swimmers who would cross his path.
This Wednesday a bather saw two specimens of blue dragon (Glaucus atlanticus), a spectacular species of mollusk or sea slug, on the beaches of Vivers, in Guardamar del Segura (Alicante). The sandal ended up closed to the bathroom until the next day. The same has happened on the beach of Santa Barbara in La Línea de la Concepción and in those of La Garita and Famara in Lanzarote. The lock is because, although the slug measures at most four centim…
Actually the beautiful but highly toxic Blue Dragon is not at home in the Mediterranean. Now the ocean snail was sighted on the Spanish Costa Blanca. The authorities reacted quickly.
Glaucus atlanticus, a small mollusc 3 to 4 cm long, mainly uses the venom of the physalia, which it feeds on to sting when it feels threatened.
Beaches in Spanish tourist hotspot shut after rare, venomous sea slugs found | News Channel 3-12
By Issy Ronald, CNN Beaches in the town of Guardamar del Segura, in southeastern Spain, closed earlier this week after the discovery of two venomous sea slugs in the water, local authorities announced. Due to the appearance “of the blue dragon (Glaucus atlanticus), and for motives of citizenry safety, we have banned all swimming on all of the municipal beaches until a new order,” the Guardamar police force said in a post on Facebook on Wednesday…
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