How to tell the difference between a Man o’ War and a By-The-Wind-Sailor?

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When encountering marine creatures like the Man o’ War and By-The-Wind-Sailor on Florida's beaches, it's essential to distinguish between them for safety. Both organisms are fascinating yet potentially hazardous due to their tentacles. The Man o’ War, with its distinctive balloon-like float and long, trailing tentacles, typically has a vibrant blue or purple hue. In contrast, the By-The-Wind-Sailor, or Velella, is smaller, has a more uniform shape, and features a sail-like structure. If spotted, it’s advisable to mark the area with sticks to

I saw something that was one of these on an east coast Florida beach today.

We had strong winds blowing a ton of sargassum onto shore yesterday so I figured I would see some jellies and stuff today.

It was in the sand and had one tentacle-like thing or maybe multiple tentacles clumped in a line that was maybe a foot long or more. Looked inflated and blue/purple/pink.

I was surfing so no phone to take a pic but is there a proper procedure to follow when you spot one? There were tons of tourist kids and dogs running around. I thought about putting some sticks around it at least. No lifeguard today.

Also didn’t realize these other creatures also got a cool ship name, haha I love it.

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