Okay, so the picture I posted of the dead jellyfish on the beach has been bothering me. I wanted to know what kind it was, so Kaitlyn and I just finished doing some research online and we're pretty sure that it is called a pelagia noctiluca or mauve stinger. Apparently the Mediterranean coastlines have been invaded by these fasinating creatures. According to newspaper articles throughout the resort areas of the Mediterranean the problem has been present for eight consecutive years. A lot of people have been stung my these jellyfish whose sting can be painful if not treated. Along a 10-mile stretch of the French coastline on 24 July 2008 they had 500 calls to the emergancy center in one week for treatment of jellyfish stings. The jellyfish look so harmless, but if you've watched Disney's FINDING NEMO we all know they can cause harm and aren't so harmless. Once again here is the fasinating picture of a beached 
jellyfish, a pelagia noctiluca or mauve stinger.
jellyfish, a pelagia noctiluca or mauve stinger.Here is an article from THE RIVIERA TIMES ONLINE dated 17 January 2009
Pelagia noctiluca on the Côte d'Azur
Some facts about the jellyfish shoal from Italy still present on the beaches
Pelagia noctiluca in port of Cap d’AilPhotograph by Claire LathburyHundreds of Pelagia noctiluca jellyfish that swept in on a current from Italy at the weekend are still present on the Côte d’Azur, with many beaches still flying their orange flags to indicate the presence
of the “mauve stinger”. Although their sting is not venomous to humans, they have in some rare cases led to severe allergic reactions so are best avoided by bathers. They generally leave a whip-lash-like scar on the body, with the sting being felt on impact. It later becomes very itchy and blisters.The word Pelagia in Greek means “of the sea” while nocti stands for night and luca means light. The name refers to the organism’s ability to glow in the dark when it’s disturbed. The Pelagia noctiluca is very common in warm or temperate waters, including the Mediterraneum, the Red Sea and Atlantic ocean, and while it lives mainly in open waters it is often carried by currents nearer the coast. Shoals of 45 kilometres in length, involving thousands, are not uncommon.
Some facts about the jellyfish shoal from Italy still present on the beaches
Pelagia noctiluca in port of Cap d’AilPhotograph by Claire LathburyHundreds of Pelagia noctiluca jellyfish that swept in on a current from Italy at the weekend are still present on the Côte d’Azur, with many beaches still flying their orange flags to indicate the presence
of the “mauve stinger”. Although their sting is not venomous to humans, they have in some rare cases led to severe allergic reactions so are best avoided by bathers. They generally leave a whip-lash-like scar on the body, with the sting being felt on impact. It later becomes very itchy and blisters.The word Pelagia in Greek means “of the sea” while nocti stands for night and luca means light. The name refers to the organism’s ability to glow in the dark when it’s disturbed. The Pelagia noctiluca is very common in warm or temperate waters, including the Mediterraneum, the Red Sea and Atlantic ocean, and while it lives mainly in open waters it is often carried by currents nearer the coast. Shoals of 45 kilometres in length, involving thousands, are not uncommon. 
1 comment:
When I visited Florida once. They had the most beautiful purple/blue half circle jelly fish thingy (dying on the beaches from the tide going back out) I ever saw and have never seen since. :)
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