Local beach patrol are warning folks who frequent New Jersey beaches that a rare (for them) and potentially deadly jellyfish is washing ashore.
Beachgoers began reporting what they first thought was very colorful beach trash. Upon closer inspection though, they realized the blobs were not plastic bags, but Portuguese man-of-war. The bright purple jellyfish sport tentacles that grow to about 6 feet in length but can extend outward up to 165 feet, and are extremely painful when they sting.
The New Jersey jellyfish appear to have washed up without its venomous tentacles. They can be deadly, but that's rare.
Experts say the jellyfish are washing ashore there because they are being carried north by the Gulfstream. The same creatures washed ashore there a year ago, DNA tests confirmed.
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