Massive blob – giant jellyfish on the Costa del Sol

Recently, another enormous jellyfish has been sighted on the beach at Cabopino in Marbella following others along the coast of Manilva, between Cala Sardina in San Roque and Cala del Toro.

The Fundación Aula del Mar Mediterráneo’s Jellyfish Alert app, Infomedusa, reports that over 50 sightings of this little-known species of jellyfish, whose existence some experts had previously questioned, have been reported in recent months.

The abundance of sightings along Andalusia’s coastline this year has convinced the experts. Rhizostoma luteum, the species, has been discovered on beaches in Granada, Almeria, Malaga, and the Costa del Sol. The scientific literature has only tackled it six times since it was originally recorded in 1827.

Blob to be repulsively terrifying to look

While many people consider the giant blob to be repulsively terrifying to look at, it’s not particularly dangerous to humans. Commonly known as ‘barrel jellies,’ this type of jellyfish has attracted the interest of marine biologists in recent years due to its ecological significance. In addition, there has been a large increase in the biomass of these creatures due to warming seas.

Normally they wouldn’t be seen along the Costa del Sol as they tend to stay out in open seas, but while the sting of this creature may be comparatively slight compared to that of other jellyfish, bathers should be on the lookout for this gelatinous mass that can weigh over 30kg.