Jace Tunnell, a director at the Harte Research Institute, shows off a fireworm. Photo / @harteresearch
Jace Tunnell, a director at the Harte Research Institute, shows off a fireworm. Photo / @harteresearch
Barefoot beachgoers in Texas in the US are being warned of a spiky new menace lurking underfoot – venomous sea worms.
Known as bristle worms, or marine polychaetes, the prickly creatures are rarely seen but have recently started washing up on the Gulf of Mexico’s northern shores.
The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies issued a warning last month that an increasing number of the “pain-inflicting” aquatic worms had been spotted in the area.
The creatures can grow up to 30cm long and have venomous needle-like spikes that contain neurotoxins.
If stepped on, the spikes lodge themselves in the skin and release venom – which is so painful the creatures have also been nicknamed “fireworms”.
“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 institute said.
They are typically nocturnal creatures and are found on coral reefs, rocky areas or seagrass beds across the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
The worms have seldom been spotted by humans. However, experts say their increased presence on beaches in Texas could be related to changing ocean currents, weather patterns or other environmental factors.
The creatures, which are also known as bristle worms or fireworms, are lined with venomous needle-like spikes. Photo / @harteresearch
Each of the 28 species of bristle worm can hurt humans. They usually feed on small crabs, barnacles, corals and other crustaceans.
Footage released by the Harte Research Institute shows the large worms, with their beard-like exterior and razor-sharp bristles, on several beaches.
Marine experts said they are likely to have washed up on barnacle-covered logs they were feeding on.
Jace Tunnell, the institute’s director of community engagement, said anyone pricked by the creatures should remove every bristle stuck in their skin with tweezers and then wash the affected area with disinfectant.
However, he added: “It’s gonna be painful no matter what.”
