This week a lot of families are celebrating Spring Break. If you are so lucky, you probably are heading to the Texas coast for some time at the beach.
As relaxing as you want this week to be, experts are advising those visiting the coast to remain cautious and be on the lookout for danger lurking in the waters.
Once again, officials are warning beachgoers to be on the lookout for bright blue and silver sea slugs known as "blue dragons."
While they look like fun, their stings can be painful.
Jace Tunnell, a marine biologist at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, told NBC News, "There's all kinds of stories of people accidentally stepping on these blue dragons or picking them up and squeezing them and getting stung. And yeah, it doesn't end well."
Tunnell says the sting from a blue dragon would be "3 to 5 times what a man-of-war sting would be," with the pain potentially lasting up to three hours. A bad reaction to a sting can cause vomiting and disorientation, prompting a trip to the emergency room.
If you do happen to be stung, Tunnell recommends pouring vinegar or warm water on the site, but not getting in the ocean or rubbing it with sand.
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