Bluebottles
Although they look like a jellyfish, the Bluebottle is not a single animal but a colony of four kinds of highly modified and interdependent individuals (polyps) concerned with catching and digesting food and reproduction. They are connected and supported by a float.
Prevention
- Bluebottles often wash up on the beach, so keep your eyes peeled and do not enter the water if you see bluebottles.
- If you see a bluebottle whilst swimming, keep your distance and swim to shore.
Symptoms
- Intense pain lasting from a few minutes to many hours and develops into a dull ache which then spreads to surrounding joints.
- A red line with small white lesions in the affected area. In severe cases blisters and weals in severe cases.
- Shock and respiratory distress.
Treatment
- Remove the tentacles with tweezers.
- Immerse the affected area in hot water (45° C) for 20 minutes.
- Offer painkillers.
- Seek medical attention if pain is severe.