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Speaking to TNM, Prashanth E, Tamil Nadu Forest Department, Wildlife Warden linked their arrival on the shores of Chennai to Cyclone Michaung. “After cyclonic disturbances, flushing of the
sea bed is a common occurrence. On Chennai’s shore, spotting Blue Sea Dragons is not a regular occurrence but they do show up once in a while. It is best not to touch them,” he advised.
But, the venom of both the organisms spotted isn’t lethal, said VS Chandrasekaran, retired Principal Scientist of the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA). “Blue Button
have a ‘man of war’ mechanism – which means that they use the tentacles like body parts to sting any foreign body that comes in contact to defend themselves,” he said. According to
Chandrasekaran, Blue Sea Dragon stores venom that it consumes from other creatures, including the Portuguese man’o war, a separate jellyfish species, to sting foreign bodies that make
contact. “Local fishers refer to these jellyfish kinds of organisms as _Sori _because they cause skin irritation, rashes and pain. It is best to not touch them even though their venom isn’t
lethal,” he said. He further explained that both the organisms will die if they continue to stay on the coast. “They will die once they dehydrate. They cannot withstand the daytime
temperatures on the shore,” he added. _WITH INPUTS FROM BHARATHY SINGARAVEL_