What a summertime nightmare! The stings are unlikely to be deadly, but can make it hard for a swimmer to make it back to shore. Man o’ wars were then found June 28 in Ship Bottom, Long Beach Township and other areas of New Jersey, including Island Beach State Park and Stone Harbor.
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Surf City Councilman Peter Hartney told NJ.com that weather conditions may have created ideal conditions for the jellyfish, which are actually colonies containing several different organisms. He said these are a little bit more venomous, which is why people need to be careful about them. Thanks to wind and currents, some less welcome Portuguese man o’ wars are hanging out on the beach, too. It gets its name from the uppermost polyp, a gas-filled bladder, or pneumatophore, which sits above the water and somewhat resembles an old warship at full sail. These zooids are attached to one another and physiologically integrated to the extent that they are incapable of independent survival.
The tentacles of a man-of-war can extend 165 feet (50 meters) in length below the surface, although 30 feet (10 meters) is more of the average, Hartney said. But in addition to rinsing the sting with fresh water, Bologna said that he and his team of researchers keep a little jar of vinegar around when they go on dives where jellyfish may be present. Consider this your warning. As explained by Stockton University’s Marine Science professor Matthew Landau, the sting of these odd creatures can be fatal to humans.
“Symptoms are usually localized (pain where contact was made), but in some cases there can be muscle and joint aches, or even confusion and respiratory distress”.
The Portuguese Man o’ War is often confused with jellyfish, which may lead to improper treatment of stings, as the venom differs from that of true jellyfish.
“You certainly think twice about going in the water, but you just have to be cautious”, said Adam Scwartz.
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While it may be true that the appearance of the Portuguese man-of-war or Physalia physalis is sudden, experts say that this is exactly the right time for the animals to appear – when the wind had to be out of the north and northeast, blowing the creatures to the shores.
