Man-of-War Jellyfish Video Clip & Photos

Thanks to the generosity of one of BeachHunter.net's visitors, I now have some great video of a Portuguese Man-of-War jellyfish floating in the water and washing up on the beach at Bathtub Reef Park in Stuart, Florida.

BeachHunter.net is building quite a nice collection of Florida jellyfish stories and photos. Jellyfish come in all shapes and sizes. Some sting and some don't. So if you're curious come check out the jellyfish info on BeachHunter.net.

Mushroom Cap Jellyfish Photos

Frequently, visitors to my Florida Beaches website, www.beachhunter.net, will send in photos of jellyfish they've encountered in hopes that I can help them identify the creature. I'm no jellyfish expert, but I'm getting better at making identifications.

Recently, H. Tiner sent in some photos of a jellyfish she photographed on La Costa island in southwest Florida. I've identified it as a Mushroom Cap Jellyfish (Rhopilema verrilli). It's the first one of it's kind that I've seen. So with her permission, I've posted the photos to my jellyfish page so everyone can see.

You can see the photos of the Mushroom Cap Jellyfish here.

Treating a Jellyfish Sting--Ouch!

Anybody watch Oprah today? Her guest today was none other than Dr. Oz. He conducted a quiz about various health/medical topics to see how well the audience was informed. He asked this question:

What is the best cure for a jellyfish sting?

Multiple choice:
A. Urine
B. Meat tenderizer
C. Vinegar
D. Fresh water

Got any ideas? Urine? Meat tenderizer? Sound silly?

Actually all of the above have at one time or another been considered treatments for jellyfish stings.

Generally, the answer is C. In many cases, according to people who study these things, vinegar is the probably the most helpful thing to put on a jellyfish sting.

Urine has been shown not to be helpful. Meat tenderizer is a dubious treatment as well. Fresh water should never be put on a saltwater jellyfish sting. It makes whatever tentacles that are still stuck to your skin sting you even more. Rinse with sea water.

I've read that vinegar may help for some jellyfish stings, but should not be used on a Portuguese Man-of-war sting. For more info, visit my page on jellyfish , or download my free ebook on beach safety.