Follow
Lifeguards are warning people about the Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish found on Jersey Shore, because its sting is extremely painful and potentially life threatening.
Whenever you are at the beach, it is wise to keep away from all jellyfish, because they are not at all friendly and cute, despite their gelatinous consistency and the ease with which they glide in water. Jellyfish sting people and it hurts quite badly, as any jellyfish victim could confirm. However, the Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish is much worse than regular jellyfish.
Its sting is said to cause excruciating pain and that is actually the least dangerous of its effects. The man o’ war has an extensive set of toxins that it employs to keep safe from predators, but also to apprehend its prey. These toxins could cause significant damage to the human body and could even be deadly in certain situations. Therefore, it is crucial that people who get stung be transported immediately to the nearest hospital.
It is easy to spot this vicious jellyfish because its has a purple dorsal layer and a blue ventral layer, making it very visible both in the water and on the beach. However, beach goers are advised to keep away from it at all times. They should avoid touching the colorful jellyfish, under any circumstance. Even if it looks dead, stranded on the sandy beach, it seems that there is quite a strong possibility that it is not and that is a critical moment, because people can get stung.
Lifeguards are informing people that they should always look around them for the gelatinous purple stinger and that they should make all the efforts possible to steer clear of their presence.
If everything fails and people do get stung, they should try to remove the man o’ war’s tentacles from their skin, despite the fact that they will be experiencing excruciating pain at that moment. This is the first and most important step. Then, themselves or somebody else need to call the ambulance, because a man o’ war sting constitutes a medical emergency.
While they are waiting for the ambulance, they should put salty water on the wound at first and then keep pouring hot water for 10-15 minutes, as this might alleviate the pain to a certain extent.
The bright eye-popping colors of the Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish are a telltale sign of the danger that is poses to all living creatures that it comes into contact with. So people are advised to keep away from any kind of fish, insect and animal that displays bright exotic colors, as these are much better admired from afar.
It seems that the Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish has been brought to the Jersey Shore by a storm, that has disrupted the colorful jellyfish’s normal route. This implies that there are no more purple jellyfish coming to these parts from here on, but beach goers still need to keep an eye out for those that are already here.
Image Source: blogueiros.axena.org
