Gerrard Kaonga
The ocean is full of all kinds of creepy crawlies and magnificent animals, but experts have warned against getting too close to lion's mane jellyfish and for good reason.
That’s because this jellyfish is big - like, really big - and that means it comes with a whole lot of tentacles, and that means plenty of opportunities to sting you.
Their sting has been known to send people to hospital, and in rare cases it can be fatal. The tentacles can continue to sting even when they're detached from the jellyfish's body.
A localised sting can cause severe pain to spread throughout the body within 20 minutes, and in some cases can even lead to back pain, nausea, abdominal cramps and sweating.
Advert
Understandably, since the jellyfish look ‘friendly’ and dance in the water you could be forgiven for wanting to touch them, despite that being a generally bad idea.
Well, the lion mane jellyfish is one of the largest species of jellyfish in the world.
Their tentacles can reach lengths of up to 120ft, that is about four-fifths the size of the Statue of Liberty.
Blue whales are pretty massive, right. Well, while the jellyfish is far from the same mass, they can be 20 feet longer because of those huge tentacles.
Well, the jellyfish is mostly confined to cold waters of the Arctic, northern Atlantic and northern Pacific oceans.
In North America, they are most commonly found on the north eastern coasts of the US between Washington and Alaska, but can also be found on the south western coast of Canada.
They are also commonly found on the east coast of England and Scotland and are also common in the Irish Sea.
Most recently, officials at the City of South Portland, in Maine, have attempted to raise awareness about the fascinating creature as there has been a slight uptick in appearance of the animal in recent years.
Writing on Facebook, they shared a picture of a rather big jellyfish and gave instructions on what to do if discovered.
The post read: "Spotted this weekend at Willard Beach: A nearly 5-foot wide lion's mane jellyfish!
"If you see one, here's what to do: Don't touch it! They sting; Observe it. They're so interesting to watch, and pretty too.
"If you see one washed up at Willard Beach, notify a lifeguard and they will help it back into the water with a shovel."
The Wildlife Trust says the species can 'give a very nasty sting, so consult a doctor if swelling or [hives] are severe'.