Man-of-war jellyfish spotted in Long Beach

There were several reports of unusual wildlife washing up on the shores of Long Beach last weekend. On Sunday afternoon, a baby Portuguese man-of-war — a large jellyfish-like animal — was found on the Grand Boulevard beach. There were also rumors of a small shark sighted as well.

Chief of Lifeguards Paul Gillespie said that the small man-of-war did not pose a significant threat to swimmers and that the animals only become a problem in large numbers.

“The water is warming up a little bit, so you might get a few in there,” Gillespie said. “We would have kept everybody out of the water if there was a rash of them. But as far as we’re concerned, we only spotted a baby one so far.”

He added that man-of-wars are typically swept in by southwest winds if there are any in the area and that lifeguards regularly patrol the beaches and would have spotted a larger grouping of the animals immediately. There have been sightings on nearby beaches recently, including on at Jones Beach last week.

Gillespie could not confirm reports by some residents of a small shark that washed up near Monroe Boulevard beach on Sunday as well, but noted that what they may have seen a sand shark — a commonly found animal. “The fisherman catch a lot of those little guys here,” Gillespie said. “They’re pretty calm.”

Though he said there have been several porpoise sightings recently, there have been no official reports of a shark. “As of yet, we have not spotted any on our beaches here,” Gillespie said. “If we did, we’d take action right away.”

On Saturday afternoon, a stingray washed up on the beach, he said, and lifeguards swam it back out into the ocean safely.

Man-of-wars are also sometimes referred to as bluebottles and can float above or dive below the water. The average adult man-of-war has 30-foot-long tentacles and their sting can be excruciatingly painful, but are rarely deadly. Swimmers should not approach a man-of-war for any reason — even dead ones washed up on a beach can still deliver a painful sting.