Earlier this month rarely-seen blue dragons made an appearance at Padre Island National Seashore but it’s not the only odd thing that’s been spotted along the Texas coast in the last year.
Last August a mystery creature was found on Padre Island and there was some debate about whether or not it was a cuttlefish or a blanket octopus. Check it out here and see what you think.
Naturally occurring tar balls washed ashore last May and a PINS spokesperson told KSAT at the time the balls are just a sign of the abundance of oil in the area and that the oil seeps out naturally from the ground.
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While it’s not odd, there have been multiple stories about sharks, including a 10-foot tiger shark caught last June and an 11-foot, 7-inch tiger shark caught last August. Sharks are extremely common along the gulf coast but it’s still interesting.
The same goes for alligators which have also been seen along the coast quite a few times in the last year. One was caught on video disappearing beneath the waves at Crystal Beach last July, and another caught on video swimming near Galveston on Saturday.
Another fisherman shared a video with KSAT that he captured last May of an alligator he spotted while he was out wade fishing at Port O’Connor.
PINS officials posted video of a sea hare spotted at the beach in early May.
Creature feature: the sea hare. Another amazing find from the past weekend here in the park! The sea hare (Aplysia brasiliana) is another type of sea slug. As you can see from the video, they are able to use their "wings" to swim through the water. Their wings are actually an extended section of their foot, the muscular area used for crawling by most slugs. When threatened, sea hares can expel a purple ink, similar to squids and octopuses. Although it appears to be shell-less, it actually has an internal shell which protects its organs. Video Credit: Anna Ashley
Posted by Padre Island National Seashore on Friday, May 8, 2020
They also shared photos of a baby larval eel that looks more like a piece of plastic than an animal.
Look down there in the surf! Is it plastic? Is it just more water? No, it's a baby eel! This larval eel was found...
Posted by Padre Island National Seashore on Friday, January 31, 2020