A DEADLY PORTUGUESE Man o’ War has been spotted in two locations off the south coast of Ireland.

Kevin Flannery, of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, is based in Dingle, Co Kerry and said that he received a call this morning saying a Portuguese Man o’ War had been found on a beach at Allihies in West Cork.

He received the call from a man who found it and wasn’t sure what the beautifully-coloured sea creature was.

After spotting a photograph alongside an article in today’s Irish Independent about a similar creature found in Dingle, he realised that he had found one of nature’s deadliest animals.

Flannery told TheJournal.ie that when he put the Portuguese Man o’ War found in Dingle inside a tank, it “blew up like a balloon” and rose nearly one feet into the air.

He said this appeared to be in an attempt to catch any wind so that it could float to another location.

He added that it had to be put in its own tank as the last time it shared a tank it killed all the other occupants.

Flannery urges anyone who thinks they have spotted a Portuguese Man o’ War to contact their local SFPA office – there is a full list of numbers here - and to stay clear of the creature.

Portuguese Man o’ War are so deadly that they can kill even after they themselves have died.

If they sting humans, they leave large red welts and venom that can travel to the lymph nodes, causing severe pain.

In some cases, their sting can lead to death.