Giant jellyfish with '40ft tentacles' captured on camera off coast
Iestyn Morgan has set out to make Welsh aquatic life "more accessible" for people to see.
A 21-year-old conservationist from Pembrokeshire, Iestyn Morgan, was amazed to capture footage of a giant jellyfish with 40-foot-long tentacles off the coast of Wales. Morgan, who documents his underwater encounters for social media to raise awareness about ocean threats, initially mistook the lion's mane jellyfish for a native compass jellyfish before realizing its enormous size.
The marine biologist confirmed that while the sting was nasty, it was not dangerous. Morgan noted that the tentacles appeared to be beyond the range of visibility, and the jellyfish's tentacles can exceed 30 to 36.5 meters (98ft 4in to 119ft 8in), making it one of the longest animals on Earth. The Wildlife Trusts explained that the lion's mane gets its name from its long tentacles and can grow up to 3 meters (9ft 8in) in length.
Marine biologist Dr. Cathy Lucas from the University of Southampton said that the tentacles are so fine, divers might not even notice them, although they can still sting if touched. Morgan expressed gratitude for the sighting, emphasizing that people should not be frightened by such animals and shared that he has been witnessing an increase in warm-water species like the lion's mane in Welsh waters.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
