UK heatwave to bring swarms of JELLYFISH to coasts – most dangerous species and how to spot them
RECORD-BREAKING temperatures in the UK are bringing swarms of jellyfish to its beaches.
Below are the species that swim in British waters, including the dangerous ones that could put you in hospital.
Moon Jellyfish
Moon jellyfish are about 10 inches (25cm) in diameter but can grow a bit bigger.
They’re common in the UK but not powerful enough to give anything but a minor stinging sensation.
They are colourless with hollow tentacles but can have pink, yellow, purplish or even red rings.
Barrel Jellyfish
Barrel jellyfish can grow up to around 35 inches (90cm).
They’ve been spotted washing up on Dorset beaches but are usually in deeper waters.
Their tentacles can reach six foot (1.9 metres) but they are said to be fairly harmless.
You still shouldn’t touch them though.
Even when washed up dead on the beach, their wet tentacles can give you a mild sting.
Mauve Stinger Jellyfish
Mauve stinger jellyfish are said to have a sting like an electric shock.
Luckily, they’re uncommon in the UK but have been spotted in deeper water off the west and north coasts.
They’ve increased in number over the last few years due to warming temperatures and end up attacking thousands of holidaymakers.
Their bodies are only small but their tentacles can reach 10 feet (three metres).
Compass Jellyfish
This native species is an orange and brown colour with dots and lines on its body.
The venom in their tentacles can give a very powerful sting.
They grow up to one foot, can change sex and live for about a year.
Lion’s Mane Jellyfish
Lion’s mane jellyfish have the most severe sting of all the jellyfish species in British waters.
Its sting has been known to put people in hospital.
They can even sting you when they’re washed up on shore.
They can grow longer than a blue whale and are known for having six foot (1.8m) tentacles trailing behind them in the water.
Lion’s man jellyfish can weigh up to 25kg.
Last month, they hospitalised three people at a beach in Galway in Ireland.
One woman was stung on the face and everyone was warned to leave the water.
Blue Jellyfish
Their sting is said to be like a nettle’s but it’s still not advisable to touch Blue jellyfish.
They’re blue in colour and common all around the waters of the British Isles.
They usually grow to around three to six inches (10 to 20cm).
Why are jellyfish thriving in the UK?
Some experts think warmer sea conditions due to climate change are increasing the amount of creatures that jellyfish eat, such as algae.
This means some jellyfish populations can thrive.
Nathalie Pettorelli, senior research fellow at the Zoological Society of London, told the MailOnline: “Jellyfish numbers can increase rapidly under the right conditions, but these “right conditions” may differ according to where you are and which species you are looking at.
“Overfishing (which reduces predation pressure on jellyfish) and climate change have both been cited as being responsible for the increases in jellyfish numbers we have seen over recent years.”
Longest living animals
Here's a list of creatures that were around for a very long time...
- The oldest living human on record was Jeanne Louise Calment who lived to the ripe old age of 122 years and 164 days
- A spider named Number 16 lived until it was 43 years old
- The oldest cat on record lived to 38 years old
- The longest living gold fish was won at a funfair and lived until 43 years old
- Bowhead whales are famed for being the longest living mammal species on Earth with the oldest one living to 211 years old
- A few years ago fishermen caught a Greenland shark which was around 512 years old
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KFC is working with a Russian 3D bioprinting company to create lab-produced chicken nuggets.
And, bison are returning to the UK 6,000 years after prehistoric Brits hunted them to extinction.
Have you seen lots of jellyfish on the beach recently? Let us know in the comments…
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