Lifeguards discovered several on Perranporth beach on Monday morning, and decided to close the bathing area from around 10am to 1.30pm as a precaution. The Marine Conservation Society said there had been other sightings elsewhere in Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, Wales and Ireland. While they are often bracketed with jellyfish, Portuguese men o’ war are in fact floating colonies of tiny organisms known as hydrozoa that behave collectively. MCS’s head of ocean recovery, Dr Peter Richardson, said: “Portuguese men o’ war are ocean-going animals, propelled by the wind on their inflatable sail as they fish the depths with their stinging tentacles. “Because a stranded Portuguese man o’ war looks a bit like a deflating purple balloon with blue ribbons attached, children will find it fascinating.

Source: The Guardian September 12, 2017 17:08 UTC