Animals
Small Deadly Blue Dragons Wash Up On Texas Beaches
A rare, beautiful but deadly creature has emerged from the sea along beaches in Texas.
Glaucaus Atlanticus, as it is known to marine biologists, also called the Blue Dragon Sea Slug, has been washing up on shores in much greater numbers than recorded in the previous half a century; and scientists have no valid theory as to why just yet.
These little blue wonders of the sea, usually measuring around three centimeters, are considered nudibranch, a group of marine mollusks known to have colorfully vivid patterns on their soft-shelled bodies.
The pretty little blue dragons feed on other sea creatures. Its diet includes the dreaded Portuguese Man o’ War as well as other poisonous siphonophorae, or jellyfish-like creatures.
Its defense mechanism is similar to that of a jellyfish as it secrets a stinging venom via explosive cells embedded within its tissue. Handling by a human can result in tremendous pain as well as very serious toxicity up to and including death.
The Facebook page for Padre Island National Seashore, a public family beach and campground in Corpus Christi, Texas, posted last week warning that one was spotted in the park, and while people should appreciate the chance to see one up close, take caution as their sting can be far worse than that of the Man o’ Wars.
Photo credit: Padre Island National Seashore
This brilliantly colored and stunningly shaped but dangerous creature was discovered in 1777 by German naturalist and revolutionary, George Forster, the founder of modern-day travel brochures.
It is interesting to note that the slug-like creature is neither male nor female. When mating, both members of a pair can produce fertile eggs that fruit offspring.
Another interesting feature that makes the little blue creatures particularly unique is their ability to absorb and assimilate their prey’s poisonous cells when devouring other siphonophorae, such as the feared Man o’ War, and combine it with their own venom creating one of the most poisonous oceanic stings know to man. Their sting can produce extreme fever, nausea, and respiratory problems which can be fatal.
While sightings of the Blue Dragons have been rare, when seen, they appear in large clusters, most often spotted in the waters near India and Peru. Some archaeologists believe the dragon may have been highly cherished, perhaps even considered sacred, due to ancient indigenous culture’s reverence for such colors as jade, turquoise, and topaz in those regions.
Close biological examination of these creatures has produced little scientific insight into their social behaviors or methods of communication, which makes some scientists believe that they may be able to communicate by methods other than the five senses known to us. The purpose of the creature’s wavy front tentacles also remain largely a mystery to researchers today. Specimens kept in captivity tend not to survive very long. Some researchers have observed individuals attack and consume other individuals while in captivity.
Experts are advising beachgoers to refrain from handling and close examination of the Blue Dragons as their sting can prove quite hazardous. A YouTube video shows one amateur explorer handling the creature safely without protective equipment, which beckons the question why authorities are issuing dire warnings about these visitors from the deep sea.
The Blue Dragon is not alone among strange deep-sea creatures washing up on shores around the world in recent years. Beachgoers in Corpus Christi, Texas also discovered a very rare fish that normally resides around 1200 feet under the surface of the sea. A family in New Zealand came across a pink jellyfish which has been recorded as one of the largest in the world. according to a Fox News article from 2018.
The Gaucus Atlanticus, comes to us from a part of the ocean which remains mysterious and greatly unexplored and unknown to man. The strange biological functions of such creatures tickle the curiosity of those who ponder what other wonders lie beneath the deepest darkest regions of our planet and what of those wonders are not only alien to us, but perhaps alien to this planet.
Video credit: Brittney Waters
Tourists in Kazakhstan beat a seal unconscious just so they could take some photos of their children posing with it. The incident was recorded at a beach near the coastal village of Kuryk, which is located on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.
In the video, a group of people can be seen surrounding the seal with sticks and large rocks as it began to come close to the shore. Meanwhile, bystanders began to gather around and record what was happening, but none of them decided to intervene.
“They beat the seal up until it passed out. Then they pulled it out of the water so that children could take pictures and have fun. After that, they threw the motionless body back into the sea. I don’t know if it survived,” an unnamed witness explained to local media.
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Even more disturbing is the fact that this is not an isolated incident. This video hit the web just days after a similar incident on a beach in the city of Aktau, which is just about 43 miles from Kuryk. In a video of that incident, beachgoers can be seen throwing large rocks at a baby seal as it approached them.
The video was shared on Instagram by Kazakh model Yevgeniya Mukasheva who wrote:
“Do people really have a complete lack of brains? How could you throw stones at the defenseless pup and laugh? Have you lost your mind? When will we already understand that it is necessary to value and care for every creature on the planet? What more pain do we need to strike so that we understand that mercy and compassion must be in our minds?”
The actions have been widely condemned by animal rights activists and authorities throughout Asia.
“The way people acted in the video is outrageous and wild,” said Saken Dildakhmet, a spokesperson for Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources.
“Such an attitude can cause great damage to the fauna of the Caspian Sea and adversely affect the behavior of these animals who may become aggressive and attack people. We ask you to show respect to nature. The seal in the clip is young and playful. The seals are mostly very friendly and curious marine mammals. We should admire them,” Dildakhmet added.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCTPcPcAzCa/?utm_source=ig_embed
Authorities are now searching for suspects in both of the cases. If anyone is caught, they could face a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
The Caspian seal is one of the smallest members of the earless seal family and is unique because it is found exclusively in the brackish Caspian Sea. They are found along the shorelines and also on the many rocky islands and floating blocks of ice that dot the Caspian Sea. In winter, and cooler parts of the spring and autumn season, these marine mammals populate the Northern Caspian Sea. As the ice melts in the warmer season, they can be found on the mouths of the Volga and Ural Rivers, as well as the southern latitudes of the Caspian where cooler waters can be found due to greater depth.
Evidence suggests the seals are descended from Arctic ringed seals that reached the area from the north during an earlier part of the Quaternary period and became isolated in the landlocked Caspian Sea when continental ice sheets melted. The Caspian seal is endemic to the Caspian Sea and its population has fallen drastically, by over 90 percent since the beginning of the 20th Century, according to regional conservationist group Caspian Seal Project.
Due to increased industrial production in the area, pollution has had an effect on the survival of the Caspian seal. From 1998 to 2000, the concentration of zinc and iron increased dramatically in the tissue of dead, diseased seals. This suggests these elements are causative agents in compromising the Caspian seal’s immune system.
A century ago, their population was estimated at 1.5 million seals. In 2005, 104,000 remained, with an ongoing decline of 3–4% per year.
In 2008, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) officially announced that the Caspian seal was “Endangered” and at risk of extinction due to economic activities around the Caspian Sea and coastal development in the Caspian littoral states of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan.
Deforestation in India has led to animals being forced to cross paths with humans more often, and in many cases, these encounters can be ugly, and sometimes even deadly for the elephants.
In one Bishnupur village in India, elephants have begun wandering through the community and the residents became hostile. Elephants can easily damage property or even hurt people in small villages like this, so people aren’t really thinking about the wellbeing of the animal. Elephants were estimated to have caused millions of dollars of property damage to large agricultural operations, and they are often killed in retaliation.
In some photos, residents of the village can be seen tossing firebombs at a mother elephant and her calf to keep them wandering through their crops, causing the panicked animals to flee across the road.
These photos were captured by photographer Biplab Hazra, who is hoping to raise awareness about the struggles that elephants are facing amidst ongoing deforestation.
“This happens because the villagers have to save their crops. There are many elephant corridors in human habitations. I’m trying to show this and spread my photos to increase public awareness on the matter,” Hazra says.
According to government data, 14,000sq km of forests were cleared to accommodate 23,716 industrial projects across India over the last 30 years. Deforestation in the region is mainly caused by environmental degradation by farmers, ranches, loggers, and plantation corporations. In 2009, India ranked 10th worldwide in the amount of forest loss, where world annual deforestation is estimated at 13.7 million hectares each year.
This deforestation pushes many animals from their homes and into danger.
Indian elephants may spend up to 19 hours a day feeding and they can produce about 220 pounds of dung per day while wandering over an area that can cover up to 125 square miles. This helps to disperse germinating seeds, so even though they can sometimes be destructive to villages, humans still like to keep them around. They feed mainly on grasses, but large amounts of tree bark, roots, leaves and small stems are also eaten. Cultivated crops such as bananas, rice and sugarcane are favored foods as well. Since they need to drink at least once a day, these elephants are always close to a source of fresh water.
Elephants are not only a cultural icon in India and throughout Asia, but they also help to keep the forest and grassland habitats healthy.
According to the 2017 census of elephants in India, the country is home to 27,312 elephants, which accounts for 55% of the total world elephant population. The elephant population in Assam has increased from 5,246 in 2002 to 5,719 in 2017, but now also faces serious challenges due to deforestation.
These animals were once much more common throughout Africa and Asia, but elephants have sadly declined significantly during the 20th century, largely due to the illegal ivory trade. Even though some populations are now stable and growing in some select areas, poaching, habitat destruction and conflicts with humans like those depicted in these photos continue to threaten the species, and many others.
Photos: Healthy Food House
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