Jellyfish Stings and Other Sea Creature Stings

Sea Creature Sting– Weever Fish/Stingrays

It is essential to know which bite or sting from sea creature could be dangerous or not, with appropriate treatment based on the creature involved. One needs to know that these bites or stings could cause severe allergic reaction or anaphylaxis in the case of some people.

There are a few kinds of sea creatures which could be dangerous and being knowledgeable could be very helpful while spending time near beaches. There are five main types of stinging sea creatures which are found in UK waters such as, weever fish, stingrays,sea urchins, jellyfish and Portuguese man-of war.

Weever fish are small sandy coloured fish which tend to lie deep in the sand on the seabed and have poisonous spines on their back and gills which can sting people especially on the feet and hands. Stingrays tend to be flat and circular or diamond shaped fish which have a sharp, serrated barb beneath their tail. It stings the lower legs, ankles and feet when they are accidentally stepped over in shallow water.

Sea Urchins/Jellyfish/Portuguese man-of-war 

Sea urchinsare round, small sea creatures with bony shell covered in spines and are usually found in the shallows, in seaweed and on rocks.Jellyfish seems to be like mushroom shaped creatures which often tend to float near the surface and have long thin tentacles on the underside of their bodies which are covered with small poisonous sacs known as nematocysts and if touched, give a nasty sting.

Portuguese man-of-war is a large and poisonous jellyfish type creature, though not a jellyfish, having large purple-blue, gas filled bladder and tentacles which hang below the water. They are usually found in tropical waters though some have been seen in UK water or found washed up near beaches. The sting of this sea creature can be painful and is rarely fatal.

Signs & Symptoms of Sting

The signs and symptoms of a sting may tend to vary based on which sting a person may get. In the case of weever and sea urchins which usually sting the foot, they often leave spines in the wound. Stingrays could leave a large, jagged cut or puncture wound on the skin while jellyfish and Portuguese men-of-war, often leave raised blisters on the skin which is in the shape of their own tentacles. All the stings seem to be painful causing swelling, inflammation or raised areas of skin or welts with nausea. There could be other symptoms based on what has stung the person.

Medical assistance is essential when a person has been stung while in the sea or if the symptoms seem to be severe with prolonged pain lasting for more than an hours or if faced with symptoms like chest pain or breathing problem, fits or seizures, severe redness and swelling around the affected area, One could avoid stings in the sea by not touching or handling sea creatures which sting, observe beach warning signs, wear protective clothing like wetsuit or waterproof footwear or scuffing feet as you walk in shallow water to warn any approaching sea creature and take precaution while walking in rocky areas or near seaweed since sea urchins tend to be present in shallow rocky areas like rock pools.