Texas
Thousands of beautiful but toxic sea creatures washing up on Texas shores
Thousands of beautiful but dangerous sea creatures are washing up on Texas’ coast — bungling plans for many spring breakers.
The blue dragons — which are shell-less mollusks known as “the most beautiful killer in the ocean” — popped up in droves along the shores of North Padre Island Sunday for the first time this year, officials at the Harte Research Institute said.
Experts posted a series of breathtaking photos of the stunning blue dragons, but offered a starch warning not to get too close to the tiny predator.
“When threatened or touched, it can release stinging cells with more powerful stings than the Portuguese man o’ war can alone! That’s why we recommend just taking photos and not touching,” the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s marine research institute said on Facebook.
The thousands of blue dragons were blown in over the weekend by the strong southeast winds that Texas experiences every spring, according to the institute.
The creatures themselves are partly blown in by the waves, but are also in hot pursuit of the other venomous aquatic critters they feed on that are swept by the gusts, including man-o-wars, by the wind sailors and blue buttons.
Blue dragons — also known by their less-glamorous scientific name, Glaucus atlanticus sea slug — feed on the toxins of the species and process their cells to zap predators with an even stronger sting, which can cause nausea, pain and vomiting.
Although only about an inch long, Blue dragons have enough power to send a human to the hospital with a single sting.
As if spending one’s spring break avoiding the tiny, but poisonous creatures isn’t enough, experts warn that thousands of more blue dragons will visit the coast in the coming weeks.
“This is just the first “blue wave” of these organisms washing in together. You can expect to see this happening more as we get into spring with strong southeast winds blowing them onshore. Happy beachcombing!” the Harte Research Institute said.
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Texas basketball: Longhorns open final stretch of non-conference play with a blowout win
Texas women’s basketball nonconference schedule
Texas women’s basketball nonconference schedule
Back at Moody Center for just the second time this month, No. 6 Texas crushed La Salle in a non-conference game on Tuesday night.
Senior forward Taylor Jones recorded her third double-double performance of the season, and Kyla Oldacre and Justice Carlton respectively scored 18 and 17 points in a 111-49 victory. With two games left until its Southeastern Conference opener, Texas is now 11-1.
The Longhorns will next host South Dakota State (10-2) on Sunday afternoon.
“We’ve got a monster on Sunday. South Dakota State is really good and well-coached. They’re always an NCAA tournament team. They win their league every year. So we’ve got to sharpen up a little bit and be ready on Sunday,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. “My concern on Sunday is that my kids are going to have one foot out the door ready for Christmas break, and sometimes you can do that against the three-name directional school. You (can’t) get away with that on Sunday.”
The 62-point win was the second-most lopsided victory of UT’s season, but the game was competitive in the first quarter. La Salle (6-6) even led twice before the first media timeout was called.
During that first quarter, Texas leaned on the depth it has often boasted about but not always used this season. Eleven Longhorns played in the first quarter, and Schaefer made his first substitutions less than three minutes into the game.
Reserve guard Jordana Codio, who had not played in a first half this season, gave UT a lead it wouldn’t relinquish when she sank a 3-pointer with 5:38 left in the frame. A junior, Codio finished with seven points over a career-high 17 minutes.
“That was the game plan,” Schaefer said. “Jordana’s had four really good days, she’s earned it. … She’s doing what Shay had to do her first few years. She’s over there on the men’s practice team, and she dominated our team. So she deserved the opportunity. She came in and did exactly what we needed, which was give us some juice.”
Texas exited the first half with a 19-12 advantage and then outscored La Salle by a 38-9 margin in the second quarter. The Longhorns’ lead swelled to as many as 67 points in the second half.
While playing just 14 minutes, Jones scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against the undersized Explorers. Jones and fellow post players Oldacre and Carlton led Texas to a 70-14 advantage in paint points. The Longhorns also got a combined 21 points and 11 assists from point guards Rori Harmon and Bryanna Preston while All-American forward Madison Booker had 10 points and six rebounds.
Aryss Macktoon and Ivy Fox each scored seven points to lead La Salle.
Before Tuesday’s game, members of the UT basketball team received rings to celebrate the championship they won at last season’s Big 12 tournament. Nine players remain from that team.
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