The Royal National Lifeboat Institution alerted Brits following reported sightings of an "alien" like sea creature in Lancashire and Southport over the weekend.
Portuguese man o'wars, which are also known as blue bottle jellyfish, are highly venomous and can have tentacles as long as 100ft.
The creatures can kill humans in some cases, although it is rare.
RNLI West Kirby Lifeboat tweeted: "This was found today on Caldy Beach. It is a Portuguese man O'war. If you see one, DO NOT TOUCH, They give a nasty sting, even when dead."
Georgia de Jong Cleyndert, a marine conservation officer for the Wildlife Trusts said: "We also received reports of Portuguese Man O’ War washing up near Preesall, Lancashire over the weekend. It seems these open ocean drifters are slowly being blown up the Irish Sea.
"These jellyfish-like animals normally live in the open seas but the strong and persistent winds and autumnal storms that we have been experiencing are causing them to be washed ashore."
She added: "They can't swim and are at the mercy of the winds - which is why they often end up washed ashore after big storms.
"They have blue tentacles that hang below the surface, stretching over 10 m in length, which have thousands of stinging cells that deliver venom to paralyse and kill their prey (small fish and crustaceans).
"Though it is rarely fatal for humans, their sting can pack a painful punch. They can still sting even when dead so keep children and dogs away.
"With a changing climate and the prospect of more stormy weather, it is also likely that there will be an increase in the frequency of occurrence of stranding's of these beautiful open ocean drifters."
Portuguese man o'wars, which are also known as blue bottle jellyfish, are highly venomous and can have tentacles as long as 100ft.
The creatures can kill humans in some cases, although it is rare.
RNLI West Kirby Lifeboat tweeted: "This was found today on Caldy Beach. It is a Portuguese man O'war. If you see one, DO NOT TOUCH, They give a nasty sting, even when dead."
Georgia de Jong Cleyndert, a marine conservation officer for the Wildlife Trusts said: "We also received reports of Portuguese Man O’ War washing up near Preesall, Lancashire over the weekend. It seems these open ocean drifters are slowly being blown up the Irish Sea.
"These jellyfish-like animals normally live in the open seas but the strong and persistent winds and autumnal storms that we have been experiencing are causing them to be washed ashore."
She added: "They can't swim and are at the mercy of the winds - which is why they often end up washed ashore after big storms.
"They have blue tentacles that hang below the surface, stretching over 10 m in length, which have thousands of stinging cells that deliver venom to paralyse and kill their prey (small fish and crustaceans).
"Though it is rarely fatal for humans, their sting can pack a painful punch. They can still sting even when dead so keep children and dogs away.
"With a changing climate and the prospect of more stormy weather, it is also likely that there will be an increase in the frequency of occurrence of stranding's of these beautiful open ocean drifters."
Music: Birds - Corbyn Kites
Source: RNLI, Daily Star, Wikipedia, Pexels
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patryn.worldlatestnews
Comments
Post a Comment