Swimmers are being asked to remain vigilant after the first venomous jellyfish-like Portuguese man o' war was spotted in Northern Ireland. The dangerous organisms were found by beach-goers in Portrush earlier this month.
The 100ft-long sea predators usually drift in the open sea and are rarely found this found north, but the first one ever recorded was spotted on the West Strand.
The bright blue and purple animals are a species of siphonophore - a group of animals related to jellyfish - and have a painful sting.
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A spokesperson for DAERA said contact with the creatures would potentially "inflict a very painful sting, raising welts on exposed skin".
“The Portuguese man o’ war, (Physalia physalis) is often mistakenly called a jellyfish, but is a species of siphonophore, a closely related a group of animals.
"It is actually a colonial hydrozoan, made up of small individual animals called zooids - each with their own specific function."
“The stinging cells (nematocysts) in the tentacles that trail in the water below float can inflict a very painful sting, raising welts on exposed skin. However, more susceptible individuals can suffer more severe, even fatal reactions."
Meanwhile, swimmers and bathers are being given the following advice if they do get stung:
- rinse the affected area with seawater so the water drains away from other areas of exposed skin (not fresh water – that can trigger more stings). For man o’ war stings vinegar has been shown to be effective, but at the beach seawater will be more available
- remove any remaining tentacle from the skin using tweezers or the edge of a bank card taking care not to rub or spread it over a wider area – and trigger more stings
- soak the area in very warm water (as hot as can be tolerated – not boiling) for at least 30 minutes – use hot flannels or towels if you cannot soak it, this helps deactivate the stinging cells and breakdown the venom
The DAERA spokesperson added: "It would be considered to inflict the most painful sting of any “jellyfish” in local waters but fortunately very rarely encountered.
“The trailing tentacles can be as much as 100 feet long, but are easily broken off and fragmented as they are washed up on the shore. This can result in swimmers being stung even when there is no man o’ war in evidence.
"Ropes in the water are often enwrapped with tentacles as the animal is swept past, driven by wind and current. These stinging cells can remain active and capable of stinging for days after the man o’ war has washed ashore.
“The best advice is to avoid contact with them, the stings will not penetrate a wet suit (but may cling to it)."
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