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Jellyfish reports from the Florida Panhandle Beaches

Man of War jellyfish washing up on Pensacola beach.

Man of War jellyfish (Physalia) washing up on Pensacola Beach. Photo by Oliver Rhudy, USAF.

Encountering man of war jellyfish on Pensacola Beach. Photo courtesy of Oliver Rhudy.

Best not to step on jellyfish with bare feet. Photo courtesy of Oliver Rhudy.

Oliver Rhudy sent me these photos back on March 10, 2011. He wrote:

“I am currently stationed in Pensacola and on a recent trip to
Pensacola Beach, there were hundreds of Man-of-War washed up on the
beach. I did get stung by a couple on the ankle but did not get medical
attention. It was a pretty intense sting…”

I’ve been getting a number of reports of jellyfish washing up along the northern Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Galveston, Texas. I even had a report of purple sea snails from the Florida panhandle (Indian Pass – Port St. Joe area).

The onshore winds have been blowing them ashore along with other types of jellies.