The Mauve Stingers, which washed up at Porth Hellick on St Mary’s on the Isles Of Scilly, are only small – but capable of a powerful sting and glow brightly at night if disturbed
Hundreds of thousands of rare purple jellyfish have invaded a British beach.
The “Mauve Stingers” pack a powerful sting and emit a bright glow at night when disturbed. The creatures were discovered washed up at Porth Hellick on St Mary’s in the Isles Of Scilly, a sight uncommon for UK shores.
Typically, they are found offshore and in warmer European waters such as the Mediterranean, particularly from July to October, depending on weather and ocean currents, says the Wildlife Trust. Nikki Banfield, 43, shared images of the creatures. She said: “We get Mauve Stingers fairly regularly in Scilly – but in bulk like this, hundreds of thousands, is not common.”
The photographer added: “They are really cool but it is also a really sad sight because they are washing up on shore and dying.” Due to the sheer volume of jellyfish, they aren’t drying out quickly, with many still moving as a result.
Nikki, who adopted her name the Barefoot Photographer due to her habit of going barefoot, noted the average jellyfish was around six to seven centimetres in diameter, with thousands of smaller ones amidst the seaweed and sand. She added: “Many sea swimmers, who say the ocean nearby looks like ‘jellyfish soup’ underneath, explain how often the smaller the jelly the bigger the sting.”
“These jellyfish have stinging cells on their cells and tentacles, whereas many just sting via their tentacles – so it is quite interesting. But it depends on the individual too, as people’s reactions vary.”
Nikki, a lifelong Scilly resident with a passion for photography and the environment, believes that images are a powerful way to share what’s happening in nature. She explains that there’s a mix of reasons behind the large numbers of these jellyfish species ending up on our shores.
“There are many cyclical reasons that go with our ocean temperatures – when there is an abundance of food, jellyfish bloom and breed so quickly. It’s like boom, done.”
“So it could be a sign of something going wrong in our oceans: with global heating, overfishing and climate change – there is decrease in predators for the jellyfish, meaning their numbers will spike. But is also means their food source – plankton and microscopic things in the ocean – is clearly there.”
Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s ‘Marine Strandings Network’ encourages the public to report sightings of dead marine wildlife to help monitor and record strandings. Nikki added: “Jellys capture peoples imagination. It’s important to do our bit to help wildlife.”
