A venomous and bearded creature has emerged on the beaches of Corpus Christi.
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| Fireworm AKA Bristle worms on a log with gooseneck barnacles. Photo: Harte Research Institute For Gulf of Mexico via foxnews.com |
Prickly fireworms, also known as bristle worms washed up along the Gulf Coast of Texas; beach goers have been alerted.
The bristle worms have been described by the National Park Services (NPS) as tiny, needle-like spikes, each one filled with venom.
The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies posted on Facebook, “WARNING!!! Your worst nightmares are washing up right now in the form of fireworms!
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| Jace Tunnell with the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies holds up a fireworm he caught this week in Corpus Christi, Texas. (Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies). Photo: via foxnews.com |
“We’ve found a few of these marine polychaetes, sometimes called bristle worms, washing up over the past couple of days on large logs. The logs these were found on had gooseneck barnacles all over them, which might have been what the worms were feeding on.”
According to the Harte Research Institute For Gulf of Mexico: “WARNING!!! Your worst nightmares are washing up right now in the form of fireworms!
We’ve found a few of these marine polychaetes, sometimes called bristle worms, washing up over the past couple of days on large logs. The logs these were found on had gooseneck barnacles all over them, which might have been what the worms were feeding on. The fireworms get their name because of the pain they inflict on anyone that dares to touch them; it literally feels like fire for about three hours. Your skin can feel sensitive in the sting site for weeks depending on where it stung you. The white bristles coming off each segment of the worm are hollow filled with neurotoxin and they break off when you touch them. They feed on crustaceans like barnacles. They are found in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and of course the Gulf of Mexico.”
