Southern Spain beaches closed after invaded by ‘Blue Dragon’ creature

Tourists in southern Spain are prohibited from taking baths in the water along an entire 7-mile stretch of Costa Blanca as a rare but fatal sea creature has invaded the beaches.

In response to the “Blue Dragon” creature’s presence, the red emergency flags were hoisted on the beaches in the municipality of Guardamar del Segura just north of Torrevieja.

Having been dubbed as the “the most beautiful killer in the ocean,” the sea slug, known as Glaucus atlanticus, preys on deadly Portuguese man o' war the venomous cells of creatures and stores them within its body in concentrated doses.

Jose Luis Saez, the mayor of Guardamar del Segura, said in a post posted on X : "Bathing is prohibited following the appearance on Vivers Beach of two specimens of Glaucus atlanticus, known as the Blue Dragon and swimmers should stay away from this animal because of its poisonous sting".

In another post, Guardamar also announced a preventive operation to detect specimens carried by ocean currents.

“Town hall workers are closely following the evolution of the situation and will inform people about the measures to be taken,” he added.

The dazzling blue creatures can sting a person and cause symptoms like nausea, vomiting, pain and acute allergic contact dermatitis. In severe cases, these symptoms could be life-threatening.

Blue dragons usually float on the ocean surface by swallowing a little air bubble, but they often get carried by strong currents.

The creature is around 3cm or 1 inch in length and is often found on the surface of Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans.