The lives of jellyfish

Writer: Dr Anina Lee.

Strollers on Hermanus beaches recently noticed a large number of little jellyfish washed up on the sand. Regular swimmers in The Marine pool thought better of it and did not venture into the water. What were these jellyfish and what caused their sudden appearance?

Some night-light jellyfish are able to bioluminesce in the waves at night.

PHOTO: Hakai Magazine

My motto is: If in doubt, do the research. And in the case of things marine-related, your best bet is the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. So by great coincidence a team from the Aquarium came to Hermanus last week on their turtle rescue road trip. One of the team members is Krish Lewis, the ‘jelly guy’ and I was able to learn a bit about jellies from him.

Night-light jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca) are pinkish-purple jellyfish, also known as ‘mauve stingers’.

PHOTO: Shaun Matthew Yeo

These jellyfish that are washing up in their thousands, Krish explained, are called ‘nightlight’ jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca). They commonly occur in large blooms in deeper waters off the Western Cape coast. Strong winds and swells carry them in-shore and this is not a cause for concern.

Click below to read more. (The full article can be found on page 8)