At a Glance

Recent sightings of deadly Irukandji jellyfish on the Queensland, Austrialia, coast are being blamed on warming seas. The jellyfish are thought to be the most venomous creatures on the planet.

Warming seas off the eastern Australia coast are forcing a particularly deadly jellyfish to move south towards Queensland's Gold Coast, a popular tourist destination.

Jamie Seymour, a jellyfish expert and associate professor of toxinology atJames Cook University, told the Australia Associated Press that he has little doubt that warming seas are behind a recent spate of sightings of the tinybut deadly Irukandji jellyfish.

Seymour has been outspoken about the threat from the jellyfish to beaches along Australia's eastern coastand says their arrivalcould have a negative impact on the region's tourismindustry.

“It would shut beaches. It would collapse tourism,” Seymour told AAP.

(MORE:)

This past weekend, the discovery of a "stinger" near the popular Fraser Island prompted local officials to warn people aboutentering the water. Last year,a boy was stung onMooloolaba beach.

Irukandji jellyfish are thought to be , according to irukandjijellyfish.com. The jellyfish might be tiny at just one inch in diameter, but they packa deadly punch.Documented in 1952 by Hugo Flecker, symptoms from a sting includevomiting, profuse sweating, headache, agitation, rapid heart rate and very high blood pressure. The collection of symptomsare known collectively as the Irukandji syndrome. A sting can eventually lead to heart failure and death if not treated quickly.

In this April 18, 2002, file photo taken at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia, a tiny but fully grown deadly Irukandji jellyfish lies next to match sticks for size comparison.

(AP Photo/Brian Cassey, File)

While Seymour continues to advocate for early intervention to stop the arrival of the jellyfish,Daniel Gschwind, the Queensland Tourism Industry’s chief executive officer, says it's too soon to panic.

“We want people to have a great time here and go away healthy. We are concerned about any potential risk but there is no need to be alarmed at this point,” Gschwind told AAP.