KUCHING, Feb 19: The highly venomous and deadly Portuguese man o’ war was spotted in Sarawak waters.
In a Facebook post today, Sarawak Civil Defence Force (APM) said the marine creature was reportedly seen at beaches throughout the State, from Sematan to Mukah.
The department said the latest sighting of the creature was at Telok Melano Beach on Feb 16 and 17.
Beachgoers, including coastal communities, have been advised to exercise caution and remain vigilant.
The Portuguese man o’ war, also known as the man-of-war or bluebottle, is a marine hydrozoan found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean.
It is capable of delivering a painful sting powerful enough to kill fish and has been known to kill humans occasionally.
Although it resembles a jellyfish, the Portuguese man o’ war is, in fact, a siphonophore, which is a colonial organism made up of many smaller units called zooids.
All zooids in a colony are genetically identical but fulfil specialised functions such as feeding and reproduction, and together, allow the colony to operate as a single individual. — DayakDaily
