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Thousands of rare venomous jellyfish wash up on UK beach

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Thousands of rare venomous jellyfish wash up on UK beach

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Thousands of jellyfish both dead and alive have been found washed up on the beaches of Cornwall.

Mauve Stingers, also known as Pelagia noctiluca, aren’t lethal to humans but their sting can be extremely painful.

They are usually blue or purple in colour, and while they may only grow up to 4in across their tentacles can reach up to 10ft long.

Rachael Edmans was going for a paddle in the sea at Falmouth when she found huge numbers of the creatures both on the beach and floating in the water.

They’ve been found on a 30-mile stretch of Cornish coastline between Falmouth and St Austell.

She told The Sun: ‘I was very surprised to see so many mauve stingers.

Thousands of the tiny creatures have washed up on the beach in Cornwall (Picture: Jam Press/Alison Wilcock)
Story from Jam Press (Jellyfish Invasion) Pictured: Mauve Stingers near St Austell. Thousands of dangerous jellyfish that pack ???powerful punch??? sting found in Brit waters Thousands of dangerous jellyfish that pack a ???powerful punch??? sting have been found in Brit waters. More of the Mauve Stingers - also known as Pelagia noctiluca - were found dead on beaches. They could not kill humans but give a nasty sting. The jellyfish usually live in warmer waters in the Mediterranean 1,000 miles away. They have long tentacles and a globe-shaped body covered in orangey, brown warts. They were spotted on a 30 mile stretch of coastline between Falmouth and St Austell, Cornwall. Rachael Edmans came across them while out paddling in Falmouth. "I was very surprised to see so many mauve stingers," she told What's The Jam. "Usually we see lots of compass jellyfish. "But never that many." Alison Wilcock saw thousands near St Austell. "We usually get a few every year but nothing like this," she said. "The whole of St Austell Bay is teeming with them." A Wildlife Trust spokesperson said: ???The mauve stinger is a small jellyfish, but it certainly packs a powerful punch. ???With long tentacles and warty structures on its ???bell??? full of stinging cells. ???Small crustaceans known as amphipods hang out inside the ring of tentacles and are able to survive unharmed. ???The mauve stinger likes to feed on other small jellyfish and oceanic sea squirts, also known as ascidians.??? In September, a group of British swimmers was forced to call off a 31-mile sea crossing after being attacked by thousands of the creatures. Sara Harris, Nick Board, Stewart Douglas, Steve Copper and Jacqui Woodward were 15 hours into the swim when it happened. They had to abandon the sea, covered in stings, with just 3.8 miles to go. ENDS EDITOR???S NOTES: We have obtained permission from the copyright holder. Video Restrictions: None.
They may be small, but they pack a punch (Picture: Jam Press/Richard Fielding)
Story from Jam Press (Jellyfish Invasion) Pictured: Mauve Stingers near St Austell. Thousands of dangerous jellyfish that pack ???powerful punch??? sting found in Brit waters Thousands of dangerous jellyfish that pack a ???powerful punch??? sting have been found in Brit waters. More of the Mauve Stingers - also known as Pelagia noctiluca - were found dead on beaches. They could not kill humans but give a nasty sting. The jellyfish usually live in warmer waters in the Mediterranean 1,000 miles away. They have long tentacles and a globe-shaped body covered in orangey, brown warts. They were spotted on a 30 mile stretch of coastline between Falmouth and St Austell, Cornwall. Rachael Edmans came across them while out paddling in Falmouth. "I was very surprised to see so many mauve stingers," she told What's The Jam. "Usually we see lots of compass jellyfish. "But never that many." Alison Wilcock saw thousands near St Austell. "We usually get a few every year but nothing like this," she said. "The whole of St Austell Bay is teeming with them." A Wildlife Trust spokesperson said: ???The mauve stinger is a small jellyfish, but it certainly packs a powerful punch. ???With long tentacles and warty structures on its ???bell??? full of stinging cells. ???Small crustaceans known as amphipods hang out inside the ring of tentacles and are able to survive unharmed. ???The mauve stinger likes to feed on other small jellyfish and oceanic sea squirts, also known as ascidians.??? In September, a group of British swimmers was forced to call off a 31-mile sea crossing after being attacked by thousands of the creatures. Sara Harris, Nick Board, Stewart Douglas, Steve Copper and Jacqui Woodward were 15 hours into the swim when it happened. They had to abandon the sea, covered in stings, with just 3.8 miles to go. ENDS EDITOR???S NOTES: We have obtained permission from the copyright holder. Video Restrictions: None.
It’s unusual to see these jellyfish in UK waters (Picture: Jam Press/Rachel Edmans)

‘Usually we see lots of compass jellyfish. But never that many.’

While Alison Wilcock, another local, spotted hundreds of them on the beach at St Austell, saying: ‘We usually get a few every year but nothing like this.

‘The whole of St Austell is teeming with them.’

The Cornwall Wildlife Trust has issued a warning about the jellyfish on Facebook, highlighting that they can still sting when out of the water.

The post read: ‘We’ve received lots of reports of more mauve stingers washing up on Cornwall’s beaches over the weekend.

‘Hundreds of jellyfish can be seen in the rockpools and on the beach [in Falmouth].

‘Be careful! The mauve stinger is a small jellyfish, but one that packs a powerful punch, with long tentacles and warty structures on its “bell” full of stinging cells, even when washed ashore.’

It is relatively uncommon to find these jellyfish in British waters, especially in such large swathes, according to the Wildlife Trusts.

Anyone planning to take a dip in the Cornish sea is advised to wear a wetsuit to avoid being stung.

The Mauve Stinger prefers warmer waters such as the Mediterranean, but they may have been brought to our shores due to rising sea temperatures.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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