Beware of painful stings on Outer Banks beaches as Portuguese Man o’ War wash ashore

Those purple balloons tumbling onto beaches at Cape Lookout National Seashore are venomous Portuguese Man o’ War and they’ll sting passersby who aren’t careful, the National Park Service warned Saturday.

The National Park Service shared photos on Facebook of multiple Portuguese Man o’ War on its beaches, and said they had been driven ashore by southwest winds and waves.

“Once it’s ashore ... the tentacles remain a threat to bare feet long after the animal has dried out and is no longer alive,” the park posted.

“The float is what we notice the most when they’re on the beach. Often the tentacles are buried in the sand ... If you step on them, you’ll know it — They hurt!! Give any floats that you see a wide berth.”

Cape Lookout National Seashore has remained open during the COVID-19 outbreak, but visitor facilities have been closed and park staff can not be easily found by injured visitors.

Portuguese Man o’ War are often mistaken for jellyfish, but are better likened to “an animal made up of a colony of organisms working together,” according to National Geographic.

They have been found floating “in groups of 1,000 or more,” the site reports.

“The Portuguese Man o’ War is a predatory species. It uses its feeding tentacles to sting and paralyze small fishes,” Oceana.org reports.

“The feeding tentacles may be up to 160 feet (50 m) long in some individuals! These tentacles deliver a powerful sting.”

This story was originally published May 3, 2020 at 9:23 AM with the headline "Beware of painful stings on Outer Banks beaches as Portuguese Man o’ War wash ashore."