A certain southerner has come north for the summer, but it won't be renting a cottage or going shopping downtown.

The Portuguese Man ofWar has been sighted in Wareham waters twice this summer, according to the Wareham Harbormaster Department.

The Portuguese Man of War has tentacles that can reach 100 feet long, but are more likely to be 25 to 30 feet long. It has a translucent sac that floats above the water and can be tinted blue, pink, and purple. So far, it's been spotted in the Wareham River off of Long Beach and in the Parkwood Beach area.

According to Dave Remsen, manager of the Marine Resources Department at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Lab, where there's one Man of War, there's probably more.

"They tend to be in groups," Remsen explained, "so if you see one, there's likely to be others around. … The same conditions that move one will move more than one."

So what is it that moves them?

Remsen says the creatures likely made their way north along with other warm-water animals that sometimes get caught up in winds and currents that push them away from the balmy southern climate.

"We had a lot of easterly wind in June and I think that helped bring them in," said Remsen.

In addition, Remsen says that as the Gulf Stream meanders up the East Coast, "warm core rings," which he compared to cyclones, can break away and end up in cooler waters along with the warm-weather marine animals it plucked from the water.

"Current and wind are the two biggest things that move them around because of the sail they have," said Wareham Harbormaster Garry Buckminster. The "sail" he refers to is the gas-filled sac that can act as a sail when the Man of War is picked up by the wind.

Buckminster said that it's possible that more have washed up in rocky and hard-to-reach areas of town where people are less likely to go swimming.

"Wareham attracts all the debris in the bay because of our geographical design," said Buckminster. "I'm sure this won't be the last of the sightings."

Remsen said that because the conditions that transport them change from year to year, there can be years that none are spotted and years that many are found.

This year there have been numerous sightings on Cape Cod, as well as on Martha's Vineyard, and Horseneck Beach in Westport was besieged by the animal over the Fourth of July weekend.

"They're what I would call episodic. Sometimes we see them and sometimes we don't. It depends on the prevailing winds," said Remsen.

Remsen says that as the waters cool down, the animals will fade.

"As the autumn approaches, they don't swim south," he explained. "They just get colder and colder until they get stung by the cold and get eaten by local fish."

Luckily for swimmers, the Man of War is easy to spot. The gas-filled sac that floats on top of the water makes it unlike other jellyfish that stay below the surface, so swimmers can spot the animals before getting stung.

"They look sort of like a plastic balloon floating on the surface," said Remsen.

Remsen said that the stings are not deadly, but they can be quite painful. While there have never been any confirmed cases, there have been incidents in which people who drowned while swimming far from shore were thought to have died because they were stung and wore themselves out by panicking and thrashing about.

If stung, the Wareham Harbormaster's Department recommends seeking medical attention. Buckminster pointed out that because the species' presence in the area varies greatly, most people around haven't experienced the sting, leaving them unaware of how it will affect them.

"If you get stung, just go get checked out by a doctor. … You don't know how your body's going to react because you're not used to being stung by these things," said Buckminster.

While waiting for an ambulance or a ride to the hospital, there are some things people can do to treat the sting.

After removing the tentacles using a towel or something else to keep your hands safe, apply a hot compress of saltwater.

According to Remsen, using freshwater to treat the sting will only make it worse. He also discourages people from using methods borne of urban myths.

"Some people think you're supposed to pee on jellyfish stings," Remsen noted. "We don't recommend that here."

The Wareham Harbormaster Department will alert the public of any more sightings in the area. For more information, the department may be reached at 508-295-8160.