The giant jellyfish washing up in N.Wales

MORE giant jellyfish have washed up on beaches along the North Wales coast.

The sea creatures have been seen in high numbers over the last few weeks with beachgoers sharing their fascinating pictures of the sea animal on social media.

These seasonal visitors are expected in this part of the world at this time of year due to the rising temperature of the sea.

There are more than 2,000 different types of jellyfish and at least four species have been seen in North Wales since the summer began.

More than 20 barrel jellyfish were seen on Black Rock Sands beach in Morfa Bychan, Gwynedd last week.

Other species, such as Lion’s Mane, have been seen on Llandudno’s West Shore beach.

Jellyfish are 95% water and have no brain, blood or heart but most of them pack quite a punch with their sting.

The advice around any jellyfish is to look and not touch just to be on the safe side.

Here are some of the jellyfish species which have washed up on North Wales beaches over the last few weeks:

A Lion’s Mane jellyfish (pictured above, inset) was spotted on Llandudno West Shore last week.

It is the largest known species of jellyfish and can grow up to two metres in length.

Although they don’t pose a serious risk to humans, they can give a very nasty sting if you get close enough.

It is common in these waters, especially during this time of year.

These large jellyfish (main picture) swarm in warmer coastal waters in late spring and often wash up on our beaches in May or June, sometimes in their hundreds.

Two were spotted among dozens of others on Black Rock Sands beach, Greenacres in Morfa Bychan by a man walking his dog last Tuesday evening.

He said: “I know jellyfish are common around this time of year but I’ve never seen that many at once, there were dozens of them washed up on the shore.

“They were massive – easily the same size as bin lids.

“I reckon some of them were around three foot in length.”

The sting of the barrel jellyfish is not normally harmful to humans, though if you find one on the beach it’s best not to handle it as they can still sting when dead. The moon jellyfish (right) is the most common jellyfish in UK seas. Around the size of a plate, it is often found washed up along the beaches but can also be seen on display at Sea Zoo on Anglesey.

One was spotted on Llandudno’s West Shore two weeks ago – it poses no danger to humans as the moon jellyfish does not sting. Also spotted on Llandudno

A spokesperson for Anglesey Sea Zoo said: “If you are unfortunate enough to get stung, as any well experienced diver or marine medic will tell you, the best thing to do is to douse the whole area thoroughly with vinegar as this immediately disables the stinging cells.

“Contrary to popular belief, peeing on it is unlikely to give any relief, and may even make it worse.

“A better alternative is to rinse with sea water until all pieces of the tentacles have been removed from the skin, as they can continue to sting long after they are separated from the body of the animal.

“Of course if in any doubt or with any serious encounters, seek professional medical assistance immediately.”