Several jellyfish (‘Physalia physalis’ (Portuguese Man-of-War)) were found yesterday on Praia Formosa beach.
According to the monitoring platform gelavista.ipma.pt, Portuguese Man-O-War have been sighted along the south coastline of Madeira, including the port of Funchal, Funchal bay, Royal Savoy, Praia do Vigário, Cabo Girão (Câmara de Lobos), Seixal port, natural swimming pools, and beach (Porto Moniz), and Porto Santo, Ponta da Calheta.
According to the GelAvista platform, people should exercise caution if they find any along the beachline and not touch them, even if they appear dead.
Influenced by winds and surface currents, it is often sighted off the Portuguese coast. It features a blue “balloon” shaped float with lilac and pink tones. Its tentacles can reach 30 meters in length and can cause serious burns.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
Photo: JM
