Beachgoers should keep their eyes open in Westport and Little Compton, after a Portuguese man o' war was spotted in the water near the Westport Yacht Club Friday afternoon.

A caller from the yacht club called town hall to report the sighting midday Friday, and town officials put out an alert. Sightings of the brightly colored, poisonous jellyfish-like creatures are not unheard of in these waters.

Swimmers who encounter them in the water should get away, being careful to avoid the stinging tentacles, and beach combers who find them in the sand should not touch them.

When in the water, they are not difficult to spot, as they have an inflated bladder that floats them on the surface, carrying them where the currents go.