HIGHLY venomous sea creatures have washed up on our Dorset shores – but people are warned not touch them.

Several Portuguese man o'war have been discovered washed up along the Jurassic Coast in recent days including at West Bay and Castle Cove beach.

The jellyfish-like creatures usually wash up on our shores during October and November and can sometimes be found in groups of 1,000 or more and usually float in warm water.

While the colourful creatures can look beautiful and look good for a photo, they can also harm you and cause a nasty injury.  

Also known as blue bottle or floating terror, Portuguese man o'war has venomous long blue tentacles with a sting intended to paralyse and kill fish and other small animals.

It also has a pink inflatable bladder, but you will want to avoid touching them as in rare cases their sting can be deadly to humans, even when they are stranded and dead.

Lulworth Rangers previously described them as "beautiful and dangerous at the same time" and warned people to "admire from a distance but don't touch."

Bournemouth Echo: Portuguese Man O'War washed up at Chesil Beach, Sarah Hodgson

Doctor Peter Richardson, a marine Conservation Society jellyfish expert, explained why people should look at them from afar and not touch them.

He said: "Because a stranded Portuguese man o’ war looks a bit like a deflating purple balloon with blue ribbons attached, children will find it fascinating.

"So, if you’re visiting west coast beaches in the next few weeks it’s well worth making sure you know what these animals look like and that no-one picks them up."

He added: "The stings can be unbelievably painful and in rare cases, fatal.

"We’d like people to report any sightings of Portuguese man o'war to our website so we get a better idea of the extent of the strandings”.

Despite its jellyfish-like appearance, the Portuguese man o'war is not a jellyfish.

The Wildlife Trust explains: "It is a colonial hydrozoan, made up of small individual animals called zooids - each with their own specific function, e.g. feeding or breeding. They can't live separately and function together as one animal.

"Report any sightings of Portuguese man o'war to your local Wildlife Trust. Look but don't touch - they give a very nasty sting, even long after they are dead."