Stinging, venomous Portuguese man-of-war spotted on NC beaches. What if you find one?
Colorful blobs are popping up on the North Carolina shore — but touching them may ruin your trip to the beach.
That’s because the bluish-purple Portuguese man-of-war packs a powerful sting, wildlife experts say.
“Do NOT step on one of these people!!” the Carolina Beach & Kure Beach Community Facebook page warned in a post.
At least six Portuguese man-of-war were spotted in the area, which is roughly 15 miles south of Wilmington, the post from Wednesday said. Pictures show blue orbs on top of the sand.
Deljah Rackley was in Carolina Beach on Wednesday when she snapped photos of a member of the species that had a light purple hue, according to WECT.
Nearby, lifeguards have reported Portuguese man-of-war sightings in Wrightsville Beach, the National Weather Service said Thursday on Twitter.
”One apparently washed ashore on North Myrtle, and had tentacles measuring 16 feet long,” the NWS wrote.
The National Park Service on Sunday posted on its Facebook page for Cape Lookout National Seashore on North Carolina’s Outer Banks that the stinging creatures have washed ashore on the soundside beaches of Shackleford Banks by “recent weather fronts” and that those visiting the beaches should watch out.
“Watch your step! Don’t try to pop the blue float, you may end up stepping on the tentacles,” the NPS said.
The park service warned the creatures could be spotted on the beaches for the next several days.
Anyone who encounters the animals should be cautious and avoid contact, officials from Cape Lookout National Seashore in the Outer Banks said earlier this month.
Though the species is often confused with jellyfish, a Portuguese man-of-war is actually a “colony of organisms working together,” National Geographic reported. They are venomous, with a sting that can be painful for humans, according to the magazine.
The creatures can appear “sometimes in groups of 1,000 or more” in oceans across the world, according to National Geographic.
“The tentacles release thousands of microscopic venom-injecting capsules” onto the skin and can lead to death on rare occasions, The News & Observer previously reported.
If you get stung, the best course of action is to cover that part of your skin with vinegar to get rid of anything the animal may have left behind, according to a 2017 news release from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Then, researchers recommend putting that part of the skin in hot water or covering it with a warm object.
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 3:29 PM.
