DEADLY sea creatures have recently been spotted on British beaches.
Alien-looking Portuguese Man O Wars are often mistaken for jellyfish but they’re actually a floating colony of multiple small creatures called zooids.
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
A 47-year-old man spotted one recently on Ainsdale Beach in Merseyside.
Karl Lee 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.”
Portuguese Man O Wars have powerful stings that can cause a lot of harm even when they’re dead.
This is why it’s very important to never touch them.
They’re carnivorous hunters that paralyse fish with their sting.
They’ve even killed humans in the past but this isn’t a common occurrence.
Some have long tentacles that reach a whopping 100ft.
They’re sometimes called blue bottle jellyfish even though they’re not technically jellyfish at all.
Another one of the creatures was spotted recently at St Anne’s Beach near Blackpool.
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!
“This isn’t one animal, but a mass of smaller animals called zooids, which live together as a single floating colony.”
The Twitter account also explained how the creatures have no control over where they end up.
A continued Twitter thread explained: “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.”
It’s thought the creatures are appearing all over the North West of England due to recent stormy weather.
They’re usually found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean.
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