Found this posted on a park entry station in Florida. It’s a permanent and, to me, terrifying sign.

Back in the day, before “Jaws” and way before “Sharknado,” the only thing we had to fear was fear its– NO it was the MAN ‘O WAR!

When I was kid the Man ‘o War was one of the many parental tales of terror (see “runningwithapopsiclestickinyourmouth/piercedbraincavity/gwaaaakd’uh” and nosleddingwithlongscarves/isadoraduncan/erAWkkk) that were recited with ghoulish gusto to scare you into compliance with all parental requests. This long tentacled creature with venomous stings was a silent but deadly floating predator. One whipping sting and you (completely paralyzed) would sink to the bottom of the sea, drowned and then, hopefully, one day wash up on shore as a tiny skeleton in a speedo, flippers and goggles. Staying close to shore and within in sight of Mom and Auntie, both sun drunk and dozing in webbed chairs, was advisable.

Today, thanks to Wikipedia, I learned that the sting of the Man ‘o War hurts like a son of a gun for up to TWO hours and that death is rare to the point of pretty much never.

However, I did find this terrifying image of the Baby ‘o War, which is especially scary because it seems to be in a house and on the move.

CJ