It’s already been a fun year for weird, terrifying, and charming animal news in Texas.
Last week, six golden retriever puppies were adopted within hours of being found on a remote part of the beach in Nueces County. And in the same corner of the state, I’m very sorry to tell you that fireworms have washed up on Mustang Island.
They’re slimy little guys covered in venom-filled spikes, and it will be painful if they sting you, per the National Park Service and the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The latter referred to the worms as “some of the gnarliest looking creatures in the ocean” and called them “your worst nightmare.” They’re named “fireworms” because if their spikes break off and embed under your skin, it causes a burning sensation. Their stings can cause dizziness and confusion, in addition to the pain.
Also last week, news broke that some hikers found 20,000-year-old mammoth bones near Waco, and a man in College Station found an excellent, photogenic albino raccoon dumpster diving in College Station. (The odds of seeing one in the world are one in 750,000, apparently.)
Not to be outshone, the invasive, poisonous-to-dogs hammerhead flatworm made its own headlines this summer for creating headaches for Houston metro residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. (They’re dangerous for humans too and can carry parasites.) The Texas Invasive Species Institute (TISI) has said the creatures emerge from their hiding spots after heavy rain and can be found in the soil or on sidewalks and patios. They have traveled as north as Austin in times of heat and heavy rain.
But, look, it’s not all bad. Do y’all remember that teeny little baby bird in Amarillo that was rescued and then wrapped in a warm tortilla in July? I still think about it sometimes. Also, Texas is one of only 13 states where it’s legal to own a kangaroo, according to Texas Monthly — some of us only learned about this in February, when one named Rocky got loose in Texarkana before he was reunited with his family.
Anyway, y’all, we only have a few months left to beat the story of the Texas woman who was attacked by a snake and hawk simultaneously in her own front yard and then wrote about it in an essay for The Guardian.
We’re also short on magical mysteries at the moment. It has been almost a year since we debated the presence of Chupacabras, after a strange creature was spotted in San Antonio by a ranch real estate broker, and I’m ready for the next one. Bring it on.
