Scientists are working to classify a new species of giant jellyfish that washed up on an Australian beach, describing it as a ‘whopper’ that took their breath away.
The 1.5-metre (4ft 11inch) specimen was found by the Lim family in the southern state of Tasmania when they were collecting shells on a beach in Howden.
They took a picture and contacted a marine biologist who said the type of jellyfish had been seen in the past, but she had never seen one so big, or one that has become beached.
‘We know about this specimen but it hasn’t been classified yet, it hasn’t been named,’ said Lisa Gershwin, a scientist with the government’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
She told the Sydney Morning Herald the new species was related to the lion’s mane jellyfish, the largest known species of the marine animal in the world.
‘It is so big it took our breath away,’ added Gershwin, who has been working with jellyfish for 20 years.
‘It’s a whopper of an animal but it’s not life-threatening, although it does sting.’
According to Gershwin, there has been a massive jellyfish bloom in Tasmanian waters over the past month.
‘Probably about five years ago I finally put together in my head that there were really three different species of lion’s mane jellyfish in Tasmania, or ‘snotties’ as they’re also called’, Gerswhin said. ‘Yes snotties, they’re a bit slimy.’
CSIRO scientists now have enough pictures and samples to begin a proper analysis to classify and name the creature.
Despite this, much remains unknown, including how it eats and breeds, and its habitat.
‘It’s so big but we know nothing about it,’ said Gershwin. ‘It highlights again how much we still have to learn about the ocean.’
The jellyfish was found by the Lim family on a beach south of the Tasmanian capital Hobart with mother Josie saying ‘it blew our minds away’.
‘It’s not really jellyfish territory here and all we could do was stand back and admire it,’ she told AFP.
Associated Newspapers Ltd