Portuguese Man O’ Wars Washing Up On Jersey Shore Beaches

The Beach Haven Beach Patrol has found several Portuguese Man O' Wars washing up on their beach, and the creature has been spotted in Lavallette, Bay Head, and Island Beach State Park.

Beachgoers are warned to be careful and avoid them, because even dead ones remain toxic to humans and animals.

According to National Geographic, the Man O' War is a siphonophore, an animal made up of a colony of organisms working together, so if you see one, there are likely many others in the vicinity. The sting is "excruciatingly painful" to humans but rarely deadly; however, it can paralyze smaller creatures.