Beach goers are advised to be careful as Weever fish have recently been spotted around Irish beaches.
The creature usually remains buried in shallow water, sometimes in areas of little more than wet sand, with only its poisonous spines sticking out. The spines contain a toxin that causes excruciating pain on humans.
Children playing along the water line are particularly at risk, and while a sting does cause a nasty dose of pain, there are usually no long lasting effects.
Any stings must be treated with very hot water first, as the heat speeds up the denaturation of the toxins, thus helping to dissipate the pain quicker.
Subsequent treatment involves nothing more than over-the-counter analgesics, and a reasonably healthy individual should be fine within a couple of days.