The dangerous Portuguese man o' war, an increasingly common sight in the Mediterranean

Specimens of the Portuguese man o' war, a violet bag which floats in the sea with tentacles, were sighted off the coast of Malaga last weekend.

Although they are common in the warmer parts of the Atlantic, they are increasingly sighted on the Costa.

Fátima Hernández, a marine biologist, explained that the animal, physalia physalis, is not a jellyfish but a sinophore which is likely to disappear from the coast before the arrival of summer. They are very poisonous if touched.