The deadly poisonous sea creature was spotted on the beach of Lanta Island in western Thailand on July 29. It is about a Portuguese ship – a dangerous jellyfish that was accidentally discovered by tourists. This was reported by The Thaiger portal.
A family of Thai tourists rested on the coast of the Andaman Sea. One day they went for a walk on Phra Ae beach right in front of the hotel where they were staying during their vacation. The traveler’s husband went into the water to bathe and almost immediately felt a piercing pain: the tourists noticed a jellyfish on the surface of the water.
At the same time, the vacationers did not get confused, took a container, and caught the “offender” to photograph and identify it. After a thorough search for information on the Internet, the husband of the injured swimmer learned that their find was a Portuguese boat, known for its poisonousness. At that time, red spots characteristic of a burn had already appeared on the man’s leg.
The Thai headed to the island’s hospital. He complained to the doctors about burning and pain, which began to spread up the leg. Doctors provided him with the necessary assistance, including washing the wound with vinegar and prescribing pills. Fortunately, the tourist survived. This year, it was the first meeting of a person with a deadly jellyfish on the island.
Doctors reported the incident to the Tourism Authority of Thailand so that officials could issue a warning about the dangers of swimming in the resort waters of Krabi province in August as if one Portuguese boat washed ashore, there could be others nearby.
It will be recalled that in September 2016, due to the invasion of this type of jellyfish, the authorities closed four beaches on the island of Phuket in Thailand.
Reference: The Portuguese shipworm, or physalis, is a colonial hydroid organism from the siphonophore suborder. It consists of many polypoid and medusoid individuals forming a large transparent colony. At one end of the colony, there is a large bubble (pneumatophore) filled with gas, which allows it to stay on the surface of the water, resembling a ship. At the same time, the tentacles are underwater.
They have tentacles with poisonous cells that are dangerous to humans. The poison contains potent toxins that cause serious reactions in humans – burns, severe pain, allergic reactions, and even anaphylactic shock. In some cases, fatal consequences are possible, especially if a person is exposed to multiple bites or has an allergic reaction to the poison.
Portuguese ships do not have locomotor medusoid zooids, which shrink, so they move under the influence of wind and water currents – this is how the creature appeared near the resort beach. They feed on fish larvae, small fish, and squid. Portuguese ships are eaten by sea turtles and some shellfish.
In contact with human skin, the venom of this sea creature can cause burns and lead to death. First aid tips include washing the affected skin with warm sea water, sometimes using vinegar, and adding ice to relieve pain.