A TikTok video has gone viral, showing a man poking, holding, and licking a bluebottle jellyfish – completely unaware of the danger it posed. The creature, also known as the Portuguese man o’ war, has venom that can cause serious illness or even death.
In the clip, TikTok user Alexa Reed finds the jellyfish washed up on a Texas beach. He pokes it with his finger and says, “Hey guys, look what I found. It’s so cold and slimy, I’m going to pick it up.”
Reed picks up the jellyfish and jokes, “Look how long the sting is. I’m going to grab it, then I’m going to lick it.” After licking the jellyfish, he screams and claims he was stung inside his mouth, laughingly asking if anyone wants to help him.
Shockingly, he licks the jellyfish a second time, saying, “Let’s do it again.” The Portuguese man o’ war, also called a “floating terror,” has venomous cells that can cause severe pain, breathing problems, and even cardiac arrest in extreme cases.
Viewers quickly pointed out his mistake. Comments flooded in, with one person saying, “That’s one of the deadliest jellyfish!” Another added, “This guy’s playing with his life right now.” TikTok later added a warning to the video, cautioning that the actions could result in serious injury.
Reed’s unusual stunts don’t stop there. His profile features videos of him eating cockroaches, holding exotic animals, and even letting a spider crawl out of his mouth. After his jellyfish video gained over 590,000 likes, he posted follow-up clips.
In one, Reed finds another jellyfish and steps on it to make it pop, laughing at the sound. In another, he pokes a venomous creature while a bystander warns him it could send him to the hospital. Reed brushes off the warning, continuing to handle the animal.
Despite countless warnings, it seems some people just don’t want to learn from their mistakes. Reed’s risky behavior has sparked both amusement and concern online.
