John Culatto
DEADLY creatures that wash up on Gibraltar beaches can still cause injuries even if they are dead, a marine expert has warned.
It comes after a number of Portuguese Man O’ War, which are similar to jellyfish, were reported on Eastern Beach following a recent storm.
“The siphonophores commonly known as Portuguese Man O’war differ from their jellyfish cousins because they are wind driven rather than pulsating swimmers,” marine biologist Lewis Stagnetto told the Olive Press.
“They typically arrive on the Gibraltar coastline at around April time driven by strong South Westerlies.”
Stagnetto runs the Nautilus Project in Gibraltar which helps to clean up the seas and raise awareness about its residents.
“Swimming into their tentacles would certainly be very painful but highly unlikely to be fatal unless the individual suffered from some type of allergic reaction,” revealed Stagnetto.
“The danger to dog walkers is that their pet should pick it up thinking it was a plastic bottle for play.
“Further, these colonies can still sting after death making it important for parents with young children to be wary whilst on the beach.”
In the sea and on land they often look like plastic bags, which can result in them being touched by mistake, even by adults.
