A marine biologist has cautioned bathers about the hazards of a stinging snake-like gelatinous sea creature that has been spotted all over Maltese waters but is expected to be out of the way by summer.

Although he described it as a “stinging ‘snake'” in a Facebook post, Alan Deidun explained it is actually a colony of cells, known as a siphonophore, but is still a creature to “beware of”.

A cause for concern- Marine biologist Alan Deidun

A close relative of the dreaded Portuguese man o’war, it is from the jellyfish family and is renowned for its “nasty pinch”. He warned bathers could get stung multiple times by the siphonophore that is “pretty much transparent and close to the surface”.

The colony is a structure of many polyps living together, each with their own sting cells, and Deidun said it was likely to be the Forskalia edwardsii that can reach a length of 10 metres.

While stressing they are a “cause for concern”, Deidun also reassured that their presence was “seasonal and fleeting”, unlike the Mauve stingers, and that they are expected to be gone by summer.

The species is common in local waters during spring, due to the thermocline – the transition layer between the warmer mixed water on the top and cooler deep water below.

But what was “surprising” to Deidun was the “sheer numbers of the colony” at the moment, which he explained was due to the prolonged calm weather in the past weeks that allowed them to rise from the depths.

The siphonophore “infestation” has been spotted around the coast of all the islands in localities as far apart as Ċirkewwa, Marsaxlokk, Birżebbuġa, Mistra, St Paul’s Bay, Valletta and Balluta by divers and swimmers who even crossed their slithering paths during a recent Gozo-Malta swim.

'More eyes and ears out there'

The recent rough sea, however, would have caused the delicate colonies to disperse, break down into fragments due to their gelatinous structure or retreat deeper down to avoid being destroyed by the churning waters.

Deidun said the numbers of species reported could also be due to there being more food in the water as a result of aquaculture and coastal activity.

He also put the numerous sightings down to the fact that many more swimmers, and even kayakers, were taking the plunge in spring.

This resulted in “more eyes and ears out there” and more useful reports of sea creatures by “an army of citizen scientists” through his Spot the Jellyfish citizen scientist campaign.