Large Number of Highly , Venomous Man O' War , Wash Up on Florida Beach .
'Newsweek' reports that a massive swarm of highly venomous sea creatures has washed ashore on a beach in Florida.
An unknown number of Portuguese man o' war were found along the Indialantic Beach in Brevard County, Florida, about 3 miles away from Melbourne Beach.
'Newsweek' reports that it is not uncommon to see these blue, alien-like creatures along Florida's coastline, but it is rare to see them wash up in large numbers.
'Newsweek' reports that it is not uncommon to see these blue, alien-like creatures along Florida's coastline, but it is rare to see them wash up in large numbers.
There were a lot.
Every couple of feet you walked there were bunches of five to 10.
, Victoria Larkin, Florida resident, via 'Newsweek'.
From what my boyfriend and I saw, there had to be at least 100.
We only walked about 1 mile, however people we talked to said they went on for a lot longer, Victoria Larkin, Florida resident, via 'Newsweek'.
Portuguese man o' war are easy to confuse with jellyfish, as they have long strands of tentacles, but they belong to a group of marine animals called siphonophores.
Portuguese man o' war are easy to confuse with jellyfish, as they have long strands of tentacles, but they belong to a group of marine animals called siphonophores.
These are unusual creatures, as each individual is not technically a single living organism.
Siphonophores consist of a colony of genetically identical clones, with each individual member programmed to carry out a specific function.
The man o' war's tentacles are armed with microscopic stinging capsules called nematocysts, which are equipped with barbed tubes of venom.
'Newsweek' reports that it remains unclear why the creatures washed ashore, but it is likely connected to a recent cold front that passed through the region.
