" often transports these migrants, if you will, into our waters where they end up dying and washing up on our beach," he said. "It also is unusually warm. He said a combination of ocean currents and warmer temperatures is likely the reason for their arrival. Snelgrove said it's not unheard of for the creatures to wash up in Newfoundland, but the number of them this summer has been unusual. Stings can become serious if a person has an allergy, said Paul Snelgrove, a professor of ocean science and biology at Memorial University. When they turn their tentacles on humans, it leaves large red welts and can cause severe pain. Paul Snelgrove, a professor of ocean science and biology at Memorial University, says it's not unheard-of to spot a man-of-war in Newfoundland - but the numbers being seen in Point Lance are unusual. Their venomous tentacles are used to paralyze prey and suck in small fish, plankton and crustaceans.ĭr. People in Point Lance say they've never seen them before.ĭespite their appearance, they are not technically jellyfish, and they are carnivorous. The Portuguese man-of-war can be up to a foot long, and delivers a powerful sting that on rare occasions has killed people. The jellyfish-like creatures have created quite a stir on the southern Avalon in recent weeks. "I didn't count, but I would say near 40 dead Portuguese man-of-wars," she said. But it was the brightly coloured, squishy creatures that she was trying her hardest to avoid. When Chantel Nash went for a walk along the shoreline earlier this week, she found about 10 dead birds - mostly gannets, suspected to be infected with the bird flu that's swept the province this summer. But the beach has seen some foreboding signs this summer. The mile-stretch of sandy beach is a hidden gem on Newfoundland's southern Avalon Peninsula, loved by locals and often enjoyed by tourists on their way to the nearby Cape St. Between the dead birds and sometimes-deadly sea creatures, it's been a strange summer at the beach in Point Lance.
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