Earth Watch Report - Biological Hazards
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| 10.07.2013 | Biological Hazard | USA | State of California, [Thousand Steps Beach in south Laguna Beach] |  |  |
Biological Hazard in USA on Wednesday, 10 July, 2013 at 11:22 (11:22 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| An unusual jellyfish seems to have made its stinging debut in the Southern California seas. The Orange County Register says some people suffered stings all over their bodies last week at Thousand Steps Beach in south Laguna Beach. Some Fourth of July swimmers came ashore with dark membranes clinging to their bodies, as the jellyfish broke up in the surf. From the color, experts determined the jellyfish may be rare black jellies. Nigela Hillgarth of Birch Aquarium says the species was first identified in 1999, and it has only recently appeared in Southern California. Black-jelly tentacles can grow to 30 feet long. Hillgarth says warmer ocean temperatures may have brought the jellyfish closer to shore in search of prey, where they were caught by the current and thrown ashore. | |
| Biohazard name: | Jellyfish Invasion (Black-jelly ) |
| Biohazard level: | 0/4 --- |
| Biohazard desc.: | This does not included biological hazard category. |
| Symptoms: | |
| Status: | confirmed |
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES
Rare jellyfish, some as large as the size of a hula hoop, have been spotted off California coasts. Believed to be black jellyfish, the marine mammal has been stinging swimmers over 4th of July weekend, the Associated Press reports.
Black jellyfish, also known as Chrysaora achlyos, have a dark burgundy belly and black tentacles that can grow up to 30 feet long. A kayaker spotted a black jellyfish on July 1 that he described as being the size of a hula hoop. In Laguna Beach, swimmers came out of the ocean with dark membranes stuck to their bodies, AP reports.
"And all of a sudden, I see this big jelly fish swimming right by me," Joe Richman, a kayaker who spotted the rare jellyfish earlier this month in La Jolla, Calif., told CBS 8.
The sudden influx could be caused by warm ocean water that brings the jellyfish closer to shore looking for food, Nigela Hillgarth of Birch Aquarium in La Jolla, said. The species was first identified and given its name in 1997.
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