Portuguese man o' war (image courtesy Pixabay)
(FOX WEATHER) – As spring break revelers flocked to beaches in South Florida and South Carolina recently, so did the dangerous Portuguese man o' war. Purple flags flew across Treasure Coast, South Florida and South Carolina beaches indicating dangerous marine life in the water.
The Portuguese man o' war, related to a jellyfish, fires barbs loaded with toxin when something brushes against their tentacles. The cells still fire even if the animal is dead and washed-up on shore.
"These animals are some of the most toxic animals in the world," said Tony McEwan, Curator and Marine Biologist at the University of Hawaii's Waikiki Aquarium. "They're not very maneuverable animals, so their prey has to be immobilized very quickly."
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