Current Carries Deadly Jellyfishlike Man O' War to New Jersey Beaches
Jul-02-2015

Winds and the Gulf Stream current are the likely catalysts behind strange jellyfishlike creatures, Man O' War, popping up on East Coast beaches over the past several weeks.

Known as the Portuguese Man O' War, these large, colorful venomous animals are often confused for a jellyfish, but they are actually part of a group related to jellyfish called siphonophores. They can grow up to 1 foot long and 5 inches wide and their tentacles can stretch as long as 165 feet, according to National Geographic.

Recent sightings of the Man O' War along beaches in Harvey Cedars, New Jersey, prompted lifeguards to post information on its Facebook page where they issued water hazards and urged swimmers to be aware of their surroundings in the ocean and always swim near a lifeguard.

Matthew Landau, a professor of Marine Science at Stockton University, said that the Portuguese Man O' War are found in all tropical and semi-tropical oceans, where ocean temperatures are higher, but they are fairly common off-shore along the Atlantic coast. Since they are unable to propel themselves in any direction, they tend to drift with the ocean currents towards warmer ocean waters.

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