<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Beaches in the town of Guardamar del Segura, in southeastern </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/europe" rel="" target="_blank" title="Spain"><span>Spain</span></a><span>, closed earlier this week after the discovery of two venomous sea slugs in the water, local authorities announced.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Due to the appearance "of the blue dragon (Glaucus atlanticus), and for motives of citizens safety, we have banned all swimming on all of the municipal beaches until a new order," the Guardamar police force said in a post on Facebook on Wednesday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The blue dragon, colloquially named for its resemblance to the mythical creatures, is only about 3 centimetres long, but it feeds on venomous animals like the Portuguese man o' war before recycling and concentrating that venom, allowing it to paralyse prey 300 times its size.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/police-uncover-drug-lab-76-million-in-meth-inside-sydney-home/21b3ef03-ce3a-4a5b-806e-7ffb3c0c6fad"><strong><span>Police uncover drug lab, $7.6 million in meth inside Sydney home</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Contact with this marine animal can be dangerous and provoke painful burns on the skin," police said, adding that beachgoers should "take extreme caution and avoid direct contact with those that could appear on the sand."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>By Thursday, the ban had been lifted and swimming was allowed, but authorities still urged caution.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The town's mayor, José Luis Sáez, told the public to notify the authorities if they saw one of the creatures and to avoid touching it, even if wearing gloves.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/world-news-beaches-in-spanish-tourist-hotspot-shut-after-rare-venomous-sea-slugs-found/24bb03dc-0570-4ef0-81eb-43c453a8018a" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/adelaide-airport-flights-delayed-as-heavy-fog-blankets-city/a9ce313e-11cf-47ee-a1a4-9a35230414ab" rel="" target="" title="Flights delayed in Adelaide as heavy fog blankets city"><strong><span>Flights delayed in Adelaide as heavy fog blankets city</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He advised anyone getting stung to rinse the affected area with saltwater and seek medical attention.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>With its sunny climate, rocky cliffs and plethora of beaches, the Mediterranean coastline surrounding Alicante is one of Spain's tourist hotspots.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Blue dragons are rarely seen in the Mediterranean, being more often found in the temperate and tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans where they are carried along by ocean currents and the wind.</span></div></div>