‘Otherworldly’ Portuguese man o’ war becoming more common on Nova Scotia’s inshore

With a small thief from nan warming Gulf Stream, Nova Scotia beachgoers are encountering a strange creature pinch a balloon-like assemblage whose sting packs a higher punch than that of jellyfish.

Last week, a Portuguese man o’ warfare appeared astatine a surfing basking spot connected Lawrencetown Beach successful Dartmouth, N.S. The animal, a type of siphonophore — intimately related to jellyfish — has a transparent, inflated sail often adorned pinch purple, bluish aliases pinkish markings. It drifts done nan water, propelled by currents and wind.

Although location are nary actual numbers connected really often nan Portuguese man o’ warfare is spotted successful Nova Scotia, Sandra Johnston, pinch nan province’s Natural Resources Department, said sightings person go much communal on eastbound and southbound statement beaches since 2020.

“(Getting stung) is rather a achy sting. It is conscionable for illustration a jellyfish sting but importantly stronger that lasts astir 20 minutes,” Johnston said successful an interview.

Boris Worm, a biology professor astatine Dalhousie University successful Halifax who studies marine conservation and biodiversity, called nan subtropic animal “absolutely fascinating and otherworldly.”

Worm said nan emergence successful Portuguese man o’ warfare sightings successful Nova Scotia is apt because nan Gulf Stream — a transmission of lukewarm h2o that flows up nan eastbound seashore of North America — has go stronger successful nan northwest Atlantic Ocean and has warmed nan southbound statement of Nova Scotia faster than it has different parts of nan ocean.

The Portuguese man o’ warfare unrecorded successful subtropical gyres — revolving masses of h2o that person go location to tons of different organisms. As nan Gulf Stream’s power gets stronger, tropical and subtropical creatures are being transported further away, each nan measurement to Nova Scotia’s inshore.

While different jellyfish-related type thin to unrecorded successful deeper water, nan Portuguese man o’ warfare drifts person to nan surface. Its tentacles usually widen a fewer metres down it — successful utmost cases they tin beryllium arsenic agelong arsenic 30 metres — and Worm said their magnitude increases nan consequence of interaction pinch swimmers.

“You could aquatics without ever seeing nan sail aliases nan organisms that could beryllium immoderate 10, 20 aliases 50 feet away, but nan tentacles mightiness still drift down and sting you,” Worm said.

Trending Now

Other tropical food making appearances successful Nova Scotia from warming waters see butterfly fish, trigger food and oversea horses.

Neither Nova Scotia Parks nor nan Nova Scotia Lifeguard Society tracks Portuguese man o’ warfare sightings; Nova Scotia Parks said it issues advisories online and on-site erstwhile nan animal is spotted. Nova Scotia Health says infirmary visits aren’t tracked by cause, truthful there’s nary measurement to cognize really galore group activity attraction for Portuguese man o’ warfare stings each year.

Atlantic Canada Poison Centre’s Jill Duncan said nan debased likelihood of superior wounded from these stings further obscures really galore group are stung each year. “The astir communal point that happens erstwhile you get stung is symptom and reddish welts successful nan area that you’re stung,” Duncan said successful an interview.

“It’s uncommon to spell into a infirmary and moreover (more) uncommon for location to beryllium superior effects and death.”

Contrary to nan “old wives tales” that urine is an effective antidote to a jellyfish sting, Duncan said, nan champion curen aft interaction pinch a Portuguese man o’ warfare is to rinse nan coiled pinch brackish h2o and submerge it successful lukewarm h2o afterward.

This study by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2024.