Jellyfish with a sting that 'packs a painful punch' spotted near Waterford beach
Portuguese Man O' War (Bluebottle) washed up on the beach. Stock Image.
Waterford City and County Council is warning swimmers in Bonmahon to be cautious of man of war jellyfish.
They said in a post on social media that there have been sightings in the area and that while not life-threatening, a sting would be very painful.
“While the man of war's sting is rarely deadly to people, it packs a painful punch and causes welts on exposed skin,” wrote the council.
According to the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT), man of war or man o’war are visitors to Irish shores from tropical areas and not actually jellyfish, though they do look like them.
National Geographic says they are a siphonophore, which is an animal made up of a colony of organisms working together.
They travel in groups of up to 1000, and if you see one, there are likely more according to the IWT.
Man of War can end up in Ireland if a south-westerly breeze carries them and in bouts of good weather.
Their tentacles can me 50m long and other colloquial names include blue-bottle or floating terror.
But despite their scary reputation, the IWT says their sting is rarely fatal but does require medical attention.
They are, however, capable of stinging you if beached or dead.
