The sun’s shining, the sand is warm beneath your feet and the temperature is soaring. You decide to take a dip in the sea to cool off from the scorching heat. As you’re swimming and enjoying the cool ripples you suddenly hear a scream: Jellyfish!
Jellyfish; Brainless, Bloodless, Boneless, Squishy but incredibly Beautiful. Over the past years, we’ve seen a steady increase in jellyfish numbers each year. If you’re like me, you probably look up which beaches are perfect for swimming prior to going for a dip in the sea to find places which are free from sea pollution and the gorgeous, yet usually unwanted swarm of jellyfish. Jellyfish are mesmerizing to look at, but if you happen to meet one up close, their tentacles can leave a nasty sting.
Jellyfish have been around for millions of years – since before dinosaurs roamed the Earth! And despite their name, they are not fish! They are invertebrates which means that they have no backbone (and no bones in general in their case). They come in all shapes, sizes and colours. Most use their tentacles to stun and paralyze prey which they then feed on using their mouths, which can be found inside their bell-shaped body.
Jellyfish move with water currents, but some also have the ability to push water from their mouth to propel themselves forward. Even though people view these marine invertebrates as unwanted and dangerous creatures of the sea, they’re an important part of the ecosystem since they are an important food source for other animals such as sea turtles.
Today we’ll be looking at a few species of jellyfish, some of which are found naturally in our seas as well as a couple of ‘alien’ species. Prof. Alan Deidun, coordinator of the Spot the Jellyfish campaign, estimates there are at least 40-50 different species of what are called ‘gelatinous plankton’ in our waters – but not all of them are considered to be ‘jellyfish’.
Citizen science projects such as the ‘Spot the Jellyfish‘ campaign help researchers paint a better picture of the jellyfish situation around our Islands. In the 10 years since its launch, citizens have submitted thousands of reported sighting of jellyfish; information which researchers can then use to map out the location of the different types of jellyfish, along with their seasonal appearance. 9 new species were recorded thanks to this initiative, including species considered as ‘alien’, meaning that they are not found naturally in our seas.
Let’s take a look at 7 of these amazing jellyfish:
One of the most common jellyfish species in the Maltese Islands is the Mauve Stinger. You can recognize it from its pink mushroom shaped head and long tentacles. An interesting fact about this species is that it needs to float up towards warmer waters to be able to reproduce!
But how do you treat a sting from this type of jelly? According to the Stings by the Sea – A First Aid Guide you will need to wash the area with sea water and then apply a mixture of baking soda and sea water. Leave the mixture on for 5 minutes, then scrape off any left-over tentacles by using a plastic card. You can apply an ice pack to the area but make sure to wrap it up in your beach towel to avoid touching the cold surface directly to your skin.
2. The Compass Jellyfish
Another common type of jellyfish is the Compass Jellyfish. This type of jellyfish is more common during spring and its yellowish head with brown markings, similar to the marking on a compass, is quite distinctive and makes it easy to identify. Treat a compass jellyfish sting as you would treat a Mauve stinger sting.
3. The Fried Egg Jellyfish
In September, you are more likely to see The Fried Egg Jellyfish since it blooms at the end of summer which coincides with the “lampuki” fishing season. You’re probably wondering where it gets its name… well, it literally looks like a fried egg! Its yellow flattened umbrella head includes a dark orange coloured bulge right in the middle, with short button shaped tentacles that are usually either white or blue in colour.
The great thing about this type of jellyfish is that its sting has very little effect on humans. Since the sting is so mild, you’ll sometimes see fish sheltering underneath its tentacles. Which means you can enjoy their magnificence without fearing their sting!
4. The By-the-Wind Sailor
One of my favourite jellyfish is the By-the-Wind Sailor. This blue, oval jellyfish actually floats on the surface of the sea. If you happen to come across one, you might be lucky enough to spot its fin. The cool thing about it is that it uses this fin to catch the wind to travel from one place to another. The downside is that since it is at the mercy of the sea, so it is not unusual to find a colony washed up on the beach after a storm.
They are commonly seen during the winter and spring months, usually between January and May, and their sting is only mildly irritating.
5. The Upside-Down Jellyfish
Two guesses where this jellyfish got its name from! You’ve got it; it’s upside down! This beautiful jellyfish may look like vegetation on the sea floor, but it can be identified from its tentacles which look like blue flames dancing in the water.
Over the last decade there were reported sightings of the upside-down jellyfish through the Spot the Jellyfish campaign. This species is alien to our islands, meaning that it is not naturally found in our seas, or in the surrounding areas. Researchers believe it entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. This type of jellyfish only inflicts a mild sting, so it is not considered as being dangerous to us humans.
6. The Australian Spotted Jellyfish
In 2016, an alien species new to our shores was reported. The Australian Jellyfish is also known as the floating bell and is well-known for its bell like shape and regularly spaced white spots. Their venom is so mild that they do not use it to capture their food – instead, they filter feed so most of their diet consists of tiny, tiny plankton.
Even though these jellyfish might not pose a threat to humans, they might still have a negative impact on the population of fish in the Mediterranean.
7. The Portuguese man o’ war
The Portuguese man o’ war is not to be confused with the similarly coloured By-the-Wind Sailor. This semi-transparent, indigo coloured, air filled ravioli-shaped jellyfish inflicts very painful stings, even when dead.
Its venom can be found in both its body and detached tentacles and can be dangerous to touch for days, even days after the jellyfish has died. If you happen to touch one by mistake, according to the Stings by the Sea – A First Aid Guide, the best treatment would be to wash it with seawater without rubbing, using a plastic card to scrap off leftover tentacles and then to apply a hot pack to the area for up to 20 minutes.
Thanks to its air-filled body and sail-like fin, it can float on water and move with the wind currents, which can cause colonies to be washed ashore. A colony was in fact washed up at Riviera beach in January 2016, with health officials warning beach goers to keep away from them.
If you ever see any Portuguese man o’ war, make sure to alert the Spot the Jellyfish Campaign and steer clear!
Help researchers by filling in this short report ! It will only take a couple of minutes.
There are more than 7 Jellyfish in our seas. To learn more about how to identify jellyfish, check out the out the Spot the Jellyfish Guidebook in English or Maltese. The Spot the Jellyfish website also features a jellyfish sting treatment booklet which has become an invaluable tool to help put people’s minds at rest when they go for a swim.
We’ve discovered so many interesting facts about jellyfish today, why not design your own jellyfish now? Celebrate your child’s creativity and invite them to draw or make a jellyfish using their own imagination. To help them along ask them:
We’d love to see your child’s creation! So please do send us a photo of your design on social media and tag us on Facebook and Instagram using #esploramalta and #getcuriousgetinspired
Jellyfish such as the Australian Spotted Jellyfish are not the only alien species in our seas. There is a particular fish called the Lionfish which has made an appearance over the last few years – the first one being recorded in 2016.
Unfortunately, another lionfish was spotted last year in 2019! Marine biologist Professor Alan Deidun, coordinator of the Spot the Alien Fish and the Spot the Alien citizen science campaigns, is offering an underwater camera worth €370 to anyone who can help catch it or who can send a good quality original photo or video of the species recorded in Maltese waters.
If you see the Lionfish, do NOT try to capture it yourself. Instead, please submit a report here as soon as possible and include as much information as you can.
While it might be a magnificent fish to look at, it has brought widespread harm to marine biodiversity in places where they are not naturally found. This is because Lionfish eat most fish but do not have a lot of predators which eat them, which means that it’s difficult to keep their numbers under control using natural processes.
This fish is also extremely dangerous to handle, it’s not good for eating and its venom harms anyone who tries to touch it. Marine Biologists are worried that this invasive species might cause the extinction of some native plants and animals found in our seas if it is allowed to reproduce.
Want to learn more about endemic and alien species which can be found on our islands? Click here to find out more!
