Thousands of jellyfish wash up on Cornwall beach

Updated
Thousands of jellyfish wash up on Cornwall beach
Thousands of jellyfish wash up on Cornwall beach



Thousands of jellyfish have washed up on Perranporth Beach in Cornwall - just days after a sperm whale died at the same spot.

Marine experts said they are being brought in from the Atlantic by onshore wind.

See also: 40ft sperm whale dies on Cornwall beach

See also: Newly discovered jellyfish looks like an alien


The jellyfish are known as moon jellies and do not have a painful sting.

A photograph of the scene at the beach was posted onto the iWalk Cornwall Facebook page.



Matt Slater, from the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, told the BBC: "It's shocking the amount of jellyfish which are turning up.

"There are millions of jellyfish in our waters at this time of year. When I'm out surfing, I keep hitting them with my board."

According to Wikipedia, the moon jellyfish is translucent, and usually about 25–40cm (10–16 in) in diameter.

It feeds by collecting medusae, plankton, and mollusks with its tentacles, and bringing them into its body for digestion. It is capable of only limited motion, and drifts with the current, even when swimming.

The scene comes just days after a 40ft female sperm whale became stranded on Perranporth beach and subsequently sadly died.



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