Watch Out: This Bizarre Creature Is A Dangerous Problem On Texas Beaches

It's beautiful- in a slightly creepy and abstract way, but what the heck in this thing pictured below?

It's a Portuguese Man-of-War, which is a colony of organisms, like a jellyfish. However, Portuguese Man-of-War are not jellyfish, they are a siphonophore.

According to the National Ocean Service, a siphonophore "is comprised of a colony of specialized, genetically identical individuals called zooids—clones—with various forms and functions, all working together as one. "

The Portuguese Man-of-War got its strange name because it,  "resembles an 18th-century Portuguese warship under full sail," although I think it looks more like a piece of blown glass.

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Its pretty blue "balloon" is how it sails along currents, which dump these animals onto Texas beaches.

The balloon is fascinating, but watch out for the tenacles. They are extremely painful, and sometimes even deadly to humans who are allergic.

The Portuguese Man-of-War's tentacles can grow quite long- 30 to 100 feet long. That's a lot of reach, so if you see the balloon on the water, give the creature plenty of space.

Texas Parks and Wildlife suggests that a good way to avoid getting stung is to first check the beach for washed-up Portuguese Man-of-Wars. If there are some washed up, it's likely there are some spread out in the water.

Keep in mind that the toxins in the creature stay active even after it's dead, so don't step on it either.

If you ever are stung by a Portuguese Man-of-War, do not run the streaky rash that will pop up, even though you'll want to. It will just spread the toxins around and make you more miserable.

Instead, take a license or credit card and scrape off the tentacles, which are hard to see. The most effective method to deal with the pain is to run the affected area under hot (but not scalding water).

In the case of an allergic reaction, get emergency medical help as soon as possible.

If you're planning a trip to a Texas beach during the spring to late summer, remember to check for these guys before you hop in the water. And you should always look where you step on any beach.