Dewees Environmentalist Lori Sheridan Wilson sent out a warning to Dewees beachgoers yesterday to look out for Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish on the beach. This is about a week after this Post and Courier article about them washing up on Folly Beach.
the man-of-war is not a singleanimal. It is actually a colony of numerous organisms called polyps (or zooids) that are sospecialized that they cannot live without each other.
Four main types of polyps make up the man-of-war. One individual polyp becomes thelarge gas filled float (pneumatophore) that sits horizontally on the surface of the ocean.
The float can be up to 15 cm above the water and is generally translucent, tinged withpink, purple or blue. The other polyps become the feeding tentacles (gastrozooids), thedefensive/prey capturing tentacles (dactylozooids) and the reproductive polyps(gonozooids). The tentacles of the man-of-war can hang down in the water 165 feet (or
50 meters).
According to Lori, she counted over 75 Portuguese Man-of-War on the beach between Osprey Walk and the Osprey platform. Jill Cochran walked the beach this morning and also reported seeing a lot of them! The Post and Courier article reports that water is warmer than usual this year, which might have something to do with it:
The winds lately have been southeast. One telltale hint that they are around is sargassum along the beaches. It too blows or floats in from the Gulf Stream.
Man-of-wars might be more common in the summer, but the waters offshore are several degrees warmer than usual for this time of year.
At the Folly Pier the temperature is in the low 60s, said Charlie Vance, assistant pier manager. At the Edisto Buoy some 40 miles offshore and closer to the Gulf Stream, the temperature is about 10 degrees warmer.
The Portuguese Man-of-War jelly fish are extremely dangerous and ALL people should stay out of the water when they are present. A number of years ago, I saw them “invade” Daytona Beach, Fl. Their tentacles are essentially invisible when in the water, and can be well over 100 ft long, being attached to the floating small “balloon.” Their stings result from simple contact with the tentacles, and are EXTREMELY painful, leaving a significant red, swollen welt to the victim. If they wrap around a victim while wading in the surf, hospitalization may be required. SO BE WARNED. STAY OUT OF THE WATER WHEN THEY ARE SEEN BEING WASHED UPON THE BEACH!
Dewees Environmentalist Lori Sheridan Wilson sent out a warning to Dewees beachgoers yesterday to look out for Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish on the beach. This is about a week after this Post and Courier article about them washing up on Folly Beach.
The Portuguese Man-of-War jelly fish are extremely dangerous and ALL people should stay out of the water when they are present. A number of years ago, I saw them “invade” Daytona Beach, Fl. Their tentacles are essentially invisible when in the water, and can be well over 100 ft long, being attached to the floating small “balloon.” Their stings result from simple contact with the tentacles, and are EXTREMELY painful, leaving a significant red, swollen welt to the victim. If they wrap around a victim while wading in the surf, hospitalization may be required. SO BE WARNED. STAY OUT OF THE WATER WHEN THEY ARE SEEN BEING WASHED UPON THE BEACH!
Thanks, Dave, for your comments!