Steer clear of stinging sea creatures on the beach
RECORD numbers of sea creatures with a potentially fatal sting have washed up on British coastlines.
The Cornwall Wildlife Trust said there had been 144 sightings of Portuguese man o’ war in the last three days, beating the previous record of 40 recorded in 2000 and 2009.
They said the creatures were washing up because of the strong westerly winds pounding the coastline.
The Marine Conservation Society said there had also been sightings reported on beaches in Pembrokeshire, Isles of Scilly and Ireland.
Perranporth beach in north Cornwall was temporarily closed as a precaution due to the numbers found.
The Portuguese man o’ war, which is not a jellyfish but a floating colony, has long tentacles that can cause a painful sting and be fatal in extremely rare cases.
Matt Slater, a marine awareness officer at the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: “This is an unprecedented event and we urge the public to be cautious. The stings are incredibly rare and the man o’ war is actually a beautiful life form, wonderfully adapted to life in the open ocean, and are only seen in extremely rare cases on our shores.”
Dr Peter Richardson, head of ocean recovery at the Marine Conservation Society, added: “Portu- guese man o’ war are ocean-going animals, propelled by the wind on their inflatable sail as they fish the depths with their stinging tentacles.
“It’s the tentacle-like polyps that can give an agonising and potentially lethal sting.
“So, if you’re visiting west coast beaches in the next few weeks it’s well worth making sure you know what these animals look like and that no-one picks them up.”