'Your worst nightmares' are washing up on Texas beaches
Bearded fireworms have been found crawling around the Gulf Coast, and accidentally touching one can cause pain for hours and leave your skin sensitive for weeks.
Jace Tunnell carefully holding a bearded firework, pointing at its dozens of pain-inducing bristles. (Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies)
Surfers beware: Bearded fireworms, caterpillarlike critters that look like they are straight out of a horror movie are lurking in the sand on Texas beaches.
"Your worst nightmares are washing up right now in the form of bearded fireworms!" the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies said in a post on Facebook on Aug. 14.
The creatures, also known as bristle worms, can be dangerous. If they sting you, it can be painful for hours.
"The white bristles coming off each segment of the worm are hollow filled with neurotoxin and they break off when you touch them," the Facebook post read. "They are found in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and of course the Gulf of Mexico."
A bristle worm crawling in the sand along the Texas coast. (Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies)
The bearded fireworms washed up on logs covered in barnacles, one of the animals that the otherworldly-looking creatures feed on.
While the bearded fireworms may look harmless, people are advised to keep their distance as a small prick can quickly upend a relaxing day at the beach, creating a painful, long-lasting memory. "Your skin can feel sensitive in the sting site for weeks depending on where it stung you."
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