Stinging man o’ war coming ashore earlier than expected along Outer Banks. Here’s why

Fluorescent “balloons” showing up on Outer Banks beaches are Portuguese man o’ war, and they pack a powerful sting, according to a warning posted by Cape Lookout National Seashore.

The National Park Service blamed the development on an unseasonable weather shift along North Carolina’s barrier islands.

South winds have arrived earlier than expected, and man o’ war are being stranded at low tide, the park said.

“The ‘balloons’ are actually the gas-filled float that keeps the Man-o-War ... at the surface. ... As tempting as it might be to pop the floats — don’t!” the park wrote.

“These (creatures) are carnivores, using their dangling stinging tentacles to capture and kill their prey. Even when they are on the beach, these stinging tentacles still work. Stepping on one in your bare feet trying to pop the float, or just stepping on one by accident, will give you a very painful sting.”

Coastal photographer Kathy Sykes of Southport, N.C., reports seeing the creatures on beaches as far south as Oak Island, in the southeastern corner of the state.

“The largest I’ve seen was maybe 7 (inches) long on the sail. The tentacles are usually mostly (sheared) off, but I’ve seen 3 feet trailing on the dead ones washed up,” she told McClatchy News.

Portuguese man o’ war are often referred to as jellyfish, but they are technically “a species of siphonophore,” which are closely related to jellyfish, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Their tentacles average about 30 feet but have been known to extend 100 feet, the agency says.

“Found mostly in tropical and subtropical seas, men o’ war are propelled by winds and ocean currents alone, and sometimes float in legions of 1,000 or more!” NOAA’s National Ocean Service says.

“The tentacles contain stinging nematocysts ... that deliver venom capable of paralyzing and killing small fish and crustaceans. While the man o’ war’s sting is rarely deadly to people, it packs a painful punch and causes welts on exposed skin.”

This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 11:01 AM with the headline "Stinging man o’ war coming ashore earlier than expected along Outer Banks. Here’s why."