Portuguese man o’ wars are washing up on the Delaware beaches.
Kimberly Neff of Ocean View found two Portuguese man o’wars on the beach Oct. 2, she said, one on Bethany Beach and one on the Indian River Inlet’s north side beach in Delaware Seashore State Park.
“First time I’ve seen them here,” she said in a Facebook post.
Paul Bologna, director of Montclair State University’s Marine Biology and Coastal Sciences Program, said it’s normal to see Portuguese man o’wars in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Kimberly Neff spotted Portuguese man o’ wars on Bethany Beach and the Indian River Inlet’s north side beach Oct. 2.
Known for their powerful sting and recognizable by gas floats that stick out of the water, Portuguese man o’ wars are typically found in the warmer waters of the Caribbean. However, subject to the wind, currents and tides, they’re often caught in the Gulf Stream and pushed up the East Coast, Bologna said.
“Probably a combination of (hurricanes) Humberto, Imelda just kind of blew them up, then the wind patterns pushed them in and they washed up on the beaches,” Bologna said.
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Portuguese man o’ wars are not actually jellyfish but colonial siphonophores, according to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center Deputy Director Maggie Sexton, which is a group defined by stinging cells that contains both corals and jellyfish.
“When you think of a jellyfish, you likely think of something more like a sea nettle, which is round with tentacles arranged around the edges,” Sexton said. “The Portuguese man o’war is different because it is actually a collection or colony of individuals that are specialized to different functions.”
Kimberly Neff spotted Portuguese man o’ wars on Bethany Beach and the Indian River Inlet’s north side beach Oct. 2.
The stinging cells of Portuguese man o’ wars pack a punch more powerful than any most jellyfish. Tentacles that reach lengths of 15 to 20 feet can easily wrap around a human body and leave red welts, Bologna said. He actually stung himself once for a video op.
“It’s painful,” Bologna said. “At the minor end, there’s pain, redness, swelling. On a massive scale, there’s a lot of scarring and the skin is going to literally die underneath it.”
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Portuguese man o’ wars are considered deadly because they have the potential to cause extreme reactions in people, Bologna said, but they rarely do.
In the grand scheme of things, rip tides are a far bigger risk for swimmers, according to Bologna.
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To treat a Portuguese man o’war sting, or any jellyfish sting, remove any tentacles remaining on the skin, Sexton said. Tweezers will do the job. After that, soak the area in hot (not scalding) water until the pain eases, probably 20 to 45 minutes, then apply hydrocortisone cream.
The Portuguese man o’ wars in Neff’s photos are likely dead after being tossed around in the surf, but no matter the condition, your safest bet is to refrain from touching them and keep pets away.
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Portuguese man o’ wars on the Delaware beaches. What to know