I had not heard about these little buggers until moving to close to the ocean.
The story below is from Florida, but we have been getting multiple reports from the beaches of South Padre Island that sea butterflies are showing up here too. I haven't been in the ocean lately, so I haven't had the "pleasure" yet.
Fiberglass on the beach? Nope, those are sea butterflies.
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - Volusia County beachgoers were confused on Tuesday by something unusual washing up on the sandy shores. Many thought it was fiberglass, but Volusia County Beach Safety said that's not the case.
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| kinda looks like fiberglass |
Officials said the mini marine organisms are a pteropod called cresis acicula, more commonly known as a sea butterfly. Currents generated by tropical storms and hurricanes bring the needle-shaped sea snails from their usual home in the warm Caribbean waters to the Sunshine State.
Sea butterflies use their tongues to propel their cylindrical silica bodies, creating a movement that resembles a flutter.
Though they float like a butterfly, they also sting like a bee. They're sharp bodies can stick into the skin like a splinter and multiple pricks can lead to small, reddish bumps.
Officials say it's not an allergic reaction because sea butterflies are non-toxic.
Aside from the misguided fiberglass reports, Volusia County Beach Safety said lifeguards rescued three people from the ocean Tuesday and they flew the red and purple flag today.
And here is an interesting story about sea butterflies from the Smithsonian.
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