New Yorkers flocking to Florida to enjoy a vacation in the sun should beware of these sea creatures that can cause painful bites.
A Portuguese man o’ wars – a stinging sea animal related to a jellyfish with a 30-foot tentacle – washed up on a beach in South Florida due to recent high winds in the region, the Miami Herald reported.
The species, which does not swim, gets its name from the way it floats on the water, resembling the sails of 18th-century Portuguese warships, according to the National Ocean Service.
They are known to appear along the coast in late fall and winter when windy weather increases.
“My ‘hunch’ is that there is a seasonal shift in trade winds, currents, or the occurrence/frequency of winter storms that create overland currents, driving animals to the south coast of Florida in the winter,” William “Monty” Graham, director of the Florida Institute of Oceanography, told the outlet.
Seasonal shifts in the winds in South Florida have caused the creature to wash ashore. AP
Their long tentacles, which contain poison that can kill small fish, can extend 100 feet.
Although its sting is rarely fatal to humans, it is painful and causes blisters to form on the skin.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
