‘Never seen anything like it:’ Man-Of-War washes up on Hilton Head months out of season
Move over, murder hornets. Hilton Head Island has its own threatening animal.
A Portuguese Man-Of-War was spotted on Hilton Head’s beach on Wednesday between the Sonesta Resort and Coligny beach, according to photos sent to The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette by resident Charlie Labassi.
Labassi was walking on the beach around 2:30 p.m., about a half-mile from the Sonesta, when he came across the brightly colored creature.
In a video he shot on the beach, Labassi gets close to the Man-Of-War without touching it. He says he’s “never seen anything like it.”
Although the Portuguese Man-Of-War is no stranger to Hilton Head, marine biologist Amber Kuehn said the island typically sees the creatures in June and July.
She said the animal’s uncharacteristic fall arrival may be because of Tropical Storm Eta, which has been affecting the southeast region of the United States since Wednesday.
The venomous Portuguese Man-Of-War is also known as a “bluebottle” and can deliver an “excruciatingly painful” sting to humans even weeks after it’s dead, according to scientists at the Photo Ark Project at National Geographic.
“They are covered in venom-filled nematocysts used to paralyze and kill fish and other small creatures. For humans, a man-of-war sting is excruciatingly painful but rarely deadly,” according to National Geographic.
Shore Beach Service warned beach goers last year that the Man-Of-War’s venom is “much stronger” than the typical jellyfish that wash up on the beach on Hilton Head.
What is a Portuguese Man-Of-War?
The Portuguese Man-Of-War typically extends about six inches above the waterline, but its tentacles can reach 30 to 100 feet below its sail-like body, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Although the Man-Of-War looks like a jellyfish, it’s actually a species closely related to the jellyfish called a siphonophore.
“Not only is it not a jellyfish, it’s not even an ‘it,’ but a ‘they,’” according to National Geographic. “The Portuguese Man-Of-War is a siphonophore, an animal made up of a colony of organisms working together.”
Shore Beach Service operations manager Mike Wagner said lifeguards spot a few each year on Hilton Head’s beaches, typically in summertime.
National Geographic reports that Men-Of-War can travel in groups of 1,000 or more in warm waters.
“They have no independent means of propulsion and either drift on the currents or catch the wind with their (bodies),” according to National Geographic.
What to do if you’re stung by a jellyfish
If you’re stung by a man-of-war or jellyfish, Wagner said to flush the sting area with ocean water or hot water.
If there’s any part of the jellyfish still on your body, Wagner said to remove it with a gloved hand or stick — not with your bare hands.
After you leave the beach, Wagner said flushing the area with hot water is a good remedy for any sting.
However, Man-Of-War stings can cause much more severe reactions, including welts on the skin, according to Wagner and NOAA.
“You definitely want to monitor those more closely,” he said in summer 2019. “Seeing a doctor with those is probably a good idea.”
