It’s alien invasion time, but they don’t come from the stars!
Portuguese Man O’Wars have begun washing up along British coastlines in recent weeks, with the most recent being on a beach near Merseyside.
Karl Lee, 47, was walking the coast at Ainsdale beach on Sunday when he spotted what he called a “strange” looking sea creature.
He told the Liverpool ECHO: “[It was] very strange at first I thought it was a balloon until I had a closer look and identified it using an app and realised what it was and how dangerous they are and looked up that they have been washing up along the coast from Cornwall to Cumbria.”
Look at what's washed up on the shore at St Anne's🌊 It's not a jellyfish… it's a Portuguese Man O War!
This isn't one animal, but a mass of smaller animals called zooids, which live together as a single floating colony. Find out more about them in our thread (1/3) pic.twitter.com/LlXMBhO9eh
— Fylde Sand Dunes (@FyldeSandDunes) November 10, 2021
Sometimes called the blue bottle jellyfish, despite it not being a jellyfish, the Man O’Wars are carnivorous hunters, with a particularly nasty paralytic sting. Though they can and have killed humans in the past, it’s not as common as you might think.
Their true horror-movie quality is their tentacles, which can reach a staggering 100ft.
Across the Irish sea in St Anne’s, another warning has been issued after another jellyfish washed up onshore.
The Fylde Sand Dunes Project tweeted: “Look at what’s washed up on the shore at St Anne’s. It’s not a jellyfish… it’s a Portuguese Man O War!”
Portuguese Man O War's have a sail and gas-filled bladder which allows them to be carried along ocean currents. Unfortunately though, this also means that they have no control over where they drift, and can be stranded after being blown ashore by strong winds.💨 (2/3) pic.twitter.com/13VV7PVHuy
— Fylde Sand Dunes (@FyldeSandDunes) November 10, 2021
Another tweet added: “After last week’s stormy weather, Portuguese Man O War’s have been spotted on beaches all over the North-West!
“If you do see one though, please don’t touch it!
“They have a painful sting which they use to catch fish, but their tentacles can still sting after they are dead!”
It’s also essential to bear in mind that you can still be stung even if the creature is dead, so keep kids and children away from these intergalactic invaders.
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