Poisonous fireworms with neurotoxin-filled bristles are invading Texas beaches

A poisonous aquatic worm being described as "your worst nightmare" has been spotted at Texas beaches and people have been warned to stay alert. Fireworms, unusual marine critters, are washing up on beaches near Corpus Christi and Port Aransas, Harte Research Institute for the Gulf of Mexico Studies, said.

"WARNING!!! Your worst nightmares are washing up right now in the form of fireworms!," according to a Facebook post by the Institute, a division of Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi.

"We’ve found a few of these marine polychaetes, sometimes called bristle worms, washing up over the past couple of days on large logs."

Fireworms have dozens of needle-like spikes and are extremely venomous.

Only about three sightings of the prickly worms have been reported in the last few years. Two of them have been in Texas while one was reported from North Carolina.

Fireworms are creepy and dangerous and simply need some debris to cling onto. Experts believe that they are feeding on the gooseneck barnacles covering the logs at the beaches.

How fireworms attack

If you happen to touch one of the tiny white bristles, it breaks off and unleashes a neurotoxin. The name fireworms literally comes from the way one feels when stung by the creatures.

“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,” according to the Harte Research Institute.

The place where one is stung can remain sensitive for weeks, it added.

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Fireworms are typically five and ten centimetres long, but some of them can grow up to 35 centimetres and a few others can be a whopping foot in size.

Where are fireworms found

The Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico commonly host the water worms - in coral reefs, rocky areas and seagrass beds. The fireworms upon contact extend their bristles which are filled with neurotoxins

Jace Tunnell, director of community engagement and marine biologist at the Harte Research Institute, told USA Today that he spotted the worms by chance.

“The logs these were found on had gooseneck barnacles all over them, which might have been what the worms were feeding on," he said.

Experts say environmental and climate changes might be the reason for the increase in their numbers on Texas beaches.

The good news is that they aren't spotted a lot on the beaches. “It’s not very common. And part of that is because we don’t always have debris that’s washing up,” Tunnell said. He added that he has come across one just once or twice a year on Texas beaches.