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The Portuguese Man of War jellyfish is found in a fairly
widespread area, more commonly seen in tropical regions of
the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Atlantic gulf stream, and
appropriately named the “blue bottom” jellyfish
because of its bluish/purplish tinge. It is commonly seen
in the waters around Australia, as well. Its body consists
of a gas fill, using mostly nitrogen to float. It is translucent,
with a pink or purple tint. The Man of War has tentacles that
can dangle up to 150 feet. The stinging tentacles are called
nematocysts, and are quite similar to those found in jellyfish.
The stings are extremely painful to humans, can cause shock
and cardiac arrest. When taking out the stingers, please be
careful not to use your bare hands, but use a towel instead.
Scraping stingers out with tweezers or something similar would
be helpful. Rinse and ice the area immediately and thoroughly
with fresh or saltwater, then ice if available. Do not use
vinegar, for this will increase the pain, unlike other jellyfish
stings. Apply Hydrocortisone cream to the area. Benadryl is
helpful as well. As indicated above, recent research has indicated
that vinegar is not effective for relieving pain. Also, recent
research from an Australian study conducted in 2000 has proven
that alcohol and human urine can be dangerous, and in fact
harmful if applied to stings. Individuals who experience any
difficulty breathing should be transported immediately to
the nearest emergency room. As with bee stings, certain individuals
may have a severe allergic reaction to the Portuguese Man
of War stings.
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