A deadly Portuguese man o' war has been found on Tramore strand in Waterford.
The lethal siphonophore was spotted by Green Party MEP and ecologist Grace O'Sullivan while out for a walk over the weekend.
The siphonophore, which is known to kill humans and dogs, delivers its painful and potentially deadly sting through numerous microscopic cells placed on its tentacles.
Saw these Portuguese Man o’ War on Tramore beach yesterday! I'm an ecologist and spent years doing nature walks along shoreline. I've never seen them at this time of the year. Climate change has put nature in a spin. Share pics of unseasonal arrivals/ happenings.#NurtureNature pic.twitter.com/ildX6RDnUW
— Grace O'Sullivan MEP (@GraceOSllvn) February 14, 2022
In warmer climes, the man o' war's tentacles can grow up to 50cm in length, but in the colder North Atlantic ocean, their length rarely exceeds 10cm.
People are urged to look out for small, coin-sized 'jellyfish' with a blueish-purple hue in both shallow water and washed up on the shoreline.
Sightings of Portuguese man o' war jellyfish in Ireland during the winter months are historically rare, but an unseasonably mild winter has resulted in more regular sightings along the South East coast.
Image credit: Grace O'Sullivan, Twitter
