As Morski writes on the 26th of August, 2019, a Mediterranean jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata) has appeared in greater numbers in the waters around the Elafiti (Elaphite) islands in southern Dalmatia close to Dubrovnik, but this phenomenon appears to be very common and there is no need to panic about their presence.
The jellyfish is about 30 centimeres in diameter and was filmed by Vlado Odribožić when he was out with a group of tourists, sailing towards the islands of Šipan and Mljet. Although residents say they haven’t seen these jellyfish in years, experts say there is no need to worry about them.
Pero Ugarković, editor of the Podvodni.hr portal, who is also an author of numerous marine-related texts, as well as also an associate of the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split, says that these jellyfish are very easily recognised.
”There is an increase of them, it’s seasonal, and it is nothing alarming,” he pointed out briefly.
”This isn’t really uncommon, it’s like with any other type of organism. This happens cyclically every few years. Some species in the sea like these jellyfish are now passing through in greater numbers, so people are scared. Their migrations are transient and, other than a little fear in humans, they’ll leave no other consequences,” stated Petar Baranović, a marine biologist, fisherman and Morski columnist, who is well acquainted with the marine world because he is almost always dealing with it.
The Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries has already written about these jellyfish, which by their appearance are also often called the “fried egg jellyfish” They are about thirty centimeters in diameter, most noticeable at about one meter deep. This species usually appears in late summer, often accompanied by fish hiding under their ”hats”. For humans, they’re generally harmless, but an irritating but weak reaction can occur in susceptible persons, according to the aforementioned Institute.
The species lives throughout the Mediterranean sea, they’re endemic, they feed on plankton, and they’re commonly found in the high seas, sometimes appearing in the Croatian Adriatic.
Basically, these are spectacular specimens of good-natured indigenous jellyfish that are simply to be enjoyed if seen.
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