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ARCHIVED - Portugese Man o War wash up on beaches of La Manga del Mar Menor
At this time of year the strong winds often bring jellyfish or these infamous hydrozoan which are identified by their distinctive purple “air bag” floating on the surface but delivers a powerful sting.
In the early spring it´s quite common for the first jellyfish stories to come in, and this year is no exception, with the first reports of the Portugese man of war being washed up along the Murcian coastline.
A hydrozoan is a type of organism often confused with jellyfish, but has an airsack which floats on the surface of the water, enabling the wind and currents to propel it at will, and is an unpleasant bathing partner, as its sting can be extremely painful.
Without becoming too bogged-down in the structure of this marine invertebrate, which is often referred to as a jellyfish although it is in fact a siphonophore, a colonial organism, made up of many smaller units called zooids, its main characteristic is the purple sail on top of the water which resembles the full sail of a Portuguese man of war sailing ship, the caravel, the name by which it is frequently referred in Spain.
All zooids in a colony are genetically identical, but fulfill specialized functions such as feeding and reproduction, and together allow the colony to operate as a single individual.
🔴 AVISO
— @MarmenorKO. (@MarmenorKO_) March 31, 2021
Me informan de que están llegando por diferentes puntos de La manga Carabelas portuguesas.
Algunas de ellas están entrado al Mar Menor.
No confundir las que veáis en la orilla con botellas de plástico y las vayáis a coger.
Su picadura es máxima, así que ya sabéis. pic.twitter.com/HljNocCQ1q
The pneumatophore, or bladder, is the most conspicuous part of the man o' war and floats on the surface, but the tentacles are what make the man ‘o war so feared, as they typically grow to 10 metres in length but can grow as long as 30 metres, trailing in the water and catching bathers unaware. If one of these is washed up on the beach, then there is a strong chance others will be in the waters nearby, so care should be exercised.
It’s also advisable not to touch either sack or tentacles as these can continue to sting even out of the water, and it is sensible to put on shoes if walking along the beach in an area where these have been found as tentacles can be washed up on the sand and continue to deliver a nasty sting.
As the weather warms up, they generally disappear from the coastline of Murcia, but as there have been several sightings of these along the shores of La Manga del Mar Menor (La Manga strip) care should be exercised at the moment.
Further along the coast in the Alicante province thousands of Velellas velellas, a small version of harmless hydrozoan, have been washed up on the beaches; harmless to bathers they are more of an irritation than an irritant, as it’s not pleasant being in the water when there are large shoals floating on the surface. PP