Portuguese men o' war washing ashore at Volusia County beaches: Do they sting?

Portuguese men o' war are washing ashore at beaches in Volusia County.

Laura Gordon, a FOX 35 viewer, shared the photo of the animal below, taken Monday during her visit to Daytona Beach Shores.

Portuguese Man o’ War spotted at Daytona Beach Shores. (Credit: Laura Gordon)

Tamra Malphurs, Director of Volusia County Beach Safety Rescue, said the Portuguese men o' war have been appearing on the beaches over the past few days. 

As a result, beachgoers may notice a purple flag flying, which means dangerous marine life has been spotted. 

"This usually happens when there’s a strong onshore wind, as they are at the mercy of the winds and currents," Malphurs said. "It is not unusual."

What is a Portuguese man o' war?

The Portuguese man o' war is a species of siphonophore, a group of creatures that are closely related to jellyfish.

The colonial animals consist of individual specialized organisms called zooids. They work together as a unit and use their long, poisonous tentacles to trap prey, officials said. 

They are primarily found in tropical and subtropical waters, but can occasionally drift in groups of 1,000 or more due to wind and ocean currents, and often wash up on Florida coasts.

"Resembling an 18th-century Portuguese warship under full sail, the man o’ war is recognized by its balloon-like float, which may be blue, violet, or pink and rises up to six inches above the waterline," according to NOAA's website. "Lurking below the float are long strands of tentacles and polyps that grow to an average of 10 meters (about 30 feet) and may extend by as much as 30 meters (about 100 feet)."

Do Portuguese men o' war sting?

Yes, they can sting. Their tentacles have tiny capsules with venomous tubes that can paralyze and kill small fish and crustaceans. 

Although their sting is seldom deadly to humans, it is painful and can result in welts on the skin.