Dangerous jellyfish washes ashore in Balearics

A Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish, one of the most dangerous jellyfish in the world, suddenly washed up on the beach in Menorca, Mallorca’s neighbouring island. The beach was promptly closed until officials could take action to remove the animal.

The jellyfish was discovered in the Cala en Porter beach, in the Alaior municipality in Menorca. A beachgoer attempted to bury the animal in sand, but lifeguards were soon called and the beach was closed. The local police then came to retrieve the animal.

The Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia physalis), also known simply as man-of-war or bluebottle, is a highly venomous open ocean predator. It is characterised by its bright blue and purple colouring, as well as its ballon-like float, which can rise up to six inches above the water. They prefer to be in open waters, but it’s not terribly uncommon to see them wash ashore, and while their sting is rarely deadly to humans, it can cause excruciating pain, permanent scars, and vomiting.

The man-of-war is just one of many unusual animal species to be spotted close to the shore in the Balearics this year. Others seen recently are manta rays, or the Blue Dragon sea slug, which amazingly had not been seen in the Balearic region for 300 years.