A sea slug that looks like a tiny, blue dragon is washing ashore in the Outer Banks.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials say the venomous creature called a Blue Sea Dragon can pack a punch; the sea slug uses venom stolen from taking bites out of Portugese man o' war to kill their prey, and biologists say because the venom becomes concentrated when it’s stored in their body, it becomes even more powerful.
Stings can result in acute allergic contact dermatitis, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation along with nausea, vomiting, and intense pain.
Bright blue and only about an inch long, Blue Sea Dragons travel in groups known as “blue fleets.” They generally live in the open ocean, but the sea slugs occasionally get stranded on dry land after strong winds.
Park rangers are telling people who visit the beach there to admire them from a distance and to not touch them because dead or alive they remain venomous.
