“Why did this internet user pick up a deadly animal?” Welcome back to its latest installment.
Last time, we saw a lizard choose the most venomous creature known to science because it handled the deadly dangerous blue-ringed octopus, a tiny and beautiful creature that mixes enough venom to kill 26 adults in a matter of minutes. Although it was dangerous beyond belief, this time we have something more wildly. With nearly 1 million followers, the popular tic-tac-toe user, Alexa_Revid2, recently posted a video showing her upside down, lifting and even licking a blue “jellyfish” on the beach.
“Look guys, there’s still a jelly fish,” he says in the short clip. “I’m going to take it. What does it look like – yeah, it’s jellyfish, look how big it is. It’s still going on! I’m going to lick it.” Unknown to makeup artist and self-proclaimed “bug eating CEO” Alexa, her new jelly friend is actually a Portuguese man o’ War (or Bluebottle), one of the most dangerous creatures in the sea.
The Portuguese Man O ‘Wars is actually siphonophores, not a single animal but a colony of animals working together, although closely associated with jellyfish. Known for the intensely painful stings of unfortunate swimmers caught in their tents, this “floating panic” frequently roams the beaches of Australia and is responsible for 10,000 stings of people each year.
Even the death of a bluebottle sting has been reported to occur, especially among vulnerable people. Surfers and sea swimmers have a good idea of the danger these animals represent, but it turns out – many people, including these lizards, cannot detect them when washed on the beach. If you don’t believe us, another tic-tac-toe, Mindiei_97, did a great job of explaining why the battle of Maine O should be kept at a distance.
Watch the video that went viral after the original post below. Luckily, Alexa seems to have come to unscathed. However, the video provides a few important learning points. First, if you are traveling abroad and want to enjoy wildlife, try to learn common and potentially dangerous things so that you can clear up about them better.
Second and most importantly, never choose any wildlife you find (and please don’t lick it). Local plants and animals should be admired at safe distances, so that they can live for a few years in advance. And who knows, staying away could probably save your life.
