Portuguese Man O’ Wars Are Washing Up In New Jersey

Over the past few days, there have been these purple-looking sea creatures washing up on our shores. There have been reports of them washing up from Cape May all the way up to Ocean City.

You all have been asking us questions about what this could be and so we did some digging.

These purple sea creatures are called Portuguese Man O’ War. They are normally found in the Caribbean and off the coast of Florida.

Portuguese Man O’ Wars Are Washing Up In New Jersey

These Portuguese Man O’ War or Man of War, get caught in the gulf-stream and pushed by the current up the Eastern coast. When the current runs close to the shore this is when we see more and more of these creatures.

The Man of War can grow their tentacles to be over 100 feet long. The Man of War uses its long tentacles to sting which could be extremely painful. It is best if you stay away from them and DO NOT touch them!

It is not uncommon for Man of Wars to wash up on our shores throughout the summer.

Check out this BBC Earth video about the Portuguese Man O’ War below!