Long Beach Island community lifeguards discovered and removed a dangerous Portuguese man o’war jellyfish creature that washed ashore Sunday morning, according to shorebeat.com.

Courtesy of Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol
Courtesy of Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol
loading...

Swimmers should exert caution by searching for unusual sea creatures this week after warm water arrived at the Jersey Shore over the weekend, according to a statement from the Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol.

“Always be aware of your surroundings in the ocean and always swim near a lifeguard,” the statement says.

Even though the Portuguese man o’war is not commonly found in the Garden State or most of the eastern seaboard, sometimes it can be seen in southeastern coastal locations such as Florida.

While the man o’war looks like a jellyfish, the creature is a cluster of organisms known as a siphonophorae, according to shorebeat.com.

The man o’war sting can cause red, lash-mark welts on human skin, and those with an allergic reaction to its venom can suffer fever, shock and disruption with lung and heart function.

These sea creatures are more likely to wash up on the beach because of northeast winds blowing warm water from the Gulf Stream to the west toward the coastline, according to the Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol.

The man o’war is the most recent exotic creature to be found at the Jersey Shore.

A box jellyfish, considered to be more dangerous than a man o’war, was found alive and swimming in the Manasquan River last fall near the Manasquan Inlet. A second one was found washed ashore at Point Pleasant Beach shortly after.

More From 105.7 The Hawk