Portuguese Man o'War, Jellyfish Wash Ashore British Coasts Because of Changing Temperatures; Injured Beachgoers Increase

Jellyfish and Portuguese man o'war wash ashore as a result of temperature changes, boosting the number of injured beachgoers.

The jellyfish-like creatures typically avoid UK waters in favor of ocean drift, but the weather seems to have changed this.

Portuguese man o'war sightings have increased along the British coastline as a result of the stormy weather.

Sightings and Monitoring

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) received reports of 1,315 jellyfish sightings and a 2% increase in man o'war sightings as part of its annual review.

The Portuguese man o'war has tentacles that are filled with capsules that are delivered by venom-delivering coiled barbed tubes that can paralyze or kill small prey, such as fish and crustaceans.

Although its sting rarely results in human death, it can still be extremely painful and leave welts on the skin.

Portuguese man o'war sightings rose by 2% from the previous year as a result of storms in October 2021 and again in February, according to a charity spokeswoman.

She said that despite their unfavorable reputation, these jellyfish-like marine lifeforms rarely appear in UK waters; instead, they prefer to drift in the open ocean.

Westerly winds carried these strange visitors across the Atlantic to British shores, with the majority of sightings occurring along Scotland's west and southwest coasts.

The spokeswoman said that the violet sea snail, which feeds on Portuguese men-of-war and floats on the ocean surface in bubble rafts, occasionally strands at the same time.

Portuguese Man o'War

Although the Portuguese man o'war is only distantly related to jellyfish, this misconception is common.

Instead, it is a siphonophore species, an animal comprised of a group of organisms that cooperate.

Portuguese men-of-war are only propelled by ocean currents and winds and are mostly found in tropical and subtropical seas. They occasionally float in legions of 1,000 or more, according to the National Ocean Service data.

They are unable to move independently and must rely on the currents or their pneumatophores to catch the wind, according to the National Geographic.

The jellyfish-like creatures can collapse their airbags and momentarily submerge to avoid dangers on the surface.

Compass and moon jellyfish, which together accounted for 23% of sightings, were among the other creatures seen. Sightings of "other" species also increased this year, rising from 5% to 9%.

According to the spokesperson, tracking reports of "other" species could demonstrate how the diversity of jellyfish in the UK may be impacted by temperature changes.

Leatherback Turtles vs. Jellyfish

Six leatherback turtles were spotted on the Scottish coast, bringing the total number of reported turtle sightings to 11. Turtles are known to prey on jellyfish.

Amy Pilsbury, the citizen science project lead for MCS, said that together with scientists, the charity uses these sightings to identify patterns in the distribution of marine turtles and jellyfish throughout the UK.

They can learn more about the fascinating world underwater and how it might be adapting in response to factors like climate change by examining the relationships between species, Sky News reported.