Gallery: Portuguese Man-O-War on Jersey Shore beaches
Beachcombers recently discovered Portuguese Man-O-Wars on Jersey Shore beaches.
In the gallery above by JSHN contributors Scott Greenwald, Jamie Pearsall, and Jennifer Daley, the “siphonophores,” a blueish, bulbous colony composed of many individual animals commonly mistaken for a true jellyfish, were found this week along the shoreline.
Dr. Paul Bologna, a marine ecology professor at Montclair State University, confirmed the identification earlier this week.
“New Jersey missed them this year; the Gulf Stream carried them to Europe (British Isles),” he wrote in a reply to our query.
Bologna expected more to wash ashore due to Matthew’s northern track throughout the week.
The Portuguese Man-O-War is a predatory siphonophore that gets its name from the float, a gas-filled bladder that can grow up to a foot in length and rise out of the water up at six inches. The creature has very long tentacles that can grow up to 32 feet.
According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Portuguese Man-O-War can inflict “extremely painful stings,” resulting in a severe shooting pain. Treatment advice is available here.
While commonly found in the tropics, their presence is not unheard of in regional waters.
Numerous were found washed ashore on New Jersey beaches last summer.
One study found that 50 million people swim in the waters off the United States annually, while an expert noted 50 deaths per year attributed to jellyfish worldwide.
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.