Warnings after 'fascinating' creature with 'severe sting' washed up on Anglesey beach

The Porth Dafarch Man O’War was found with its tentacles trailing in the water. Credit: Daily Post Wales

People are being warned to steer clear of a 'colourful' and 'fascinating' sea creature that's washed up on a North Wales beach.

The Portugese Man O'war was found by dog walkers on Porth Dafarch beach, Anglesey on October 4.

Beachgoers have been warned to avoid the translucent sea creatures as their stings are strong enough to kill fish and in some rare cases have been known to kill humans.

The Porth Dafarch man o’war was found with its tentacles trailing in the water. These carry venom-filled sacs used to paralyze fish. Credit: Daily Post Wales

Although sharing a striking resemblance to Jellyfish the Portugese Man O'war is an animal made up of a colony of organisms working together.

The Porth Dafarch Man O’war was found with its tentacles trailing in the water. These carry venom-filled sacs used to paralyze fish and other marine creatures.

Sightings tend to become more common around Britain in September and October as sea temperatures peak. As oceans continue to warm, experts expect increasing numbers of exotics to appear along the British coast in the years to come.

The Portugese man o'war was discovered washed up on a beach in Anglesey Credit: David Jones/PA

Anglesey Sea Zoo shared pictures of the sea creature on social media with a warning for people to 'steer clear' of the animal.

They said: “If you see one, please steer clear of it as they can sting very seriously – even when dead. Also bear in mind that the tentacles can be 10-20 metres long!”

One council in the UK has already sounded an alert with South Hams District Council issuing a warning following the discovery of man o’wars on beaches in the West Country, England.On social media, the local authority said: “These colourful and fascinating animals are closely related to jellyfish, with a translucent purple float, tipped with pink, and long blueish-violet tentacles.

"While they are rarely deadly, they do give a very nasty sting even long after they are dead."

In humans, their stings usually cause severe pain and leave whip-like red welts on the skin.

A French swimmer described a recent encounter with a man o'war in Northern Spain as though "he’d been “wrapped in a metal net with a continuous high-voltage current."

Several people were needed to pull him from the water as his lungs shrank and he suffered convulsions. The man was hospitalised for 10 hours.

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