Wildlife

Giant Unnamed Jellyfish Found on Australian Beach

A huge specimen of an unnamed species of jellyfish washed up on a beach south of Hobart, Australia, last month.

A photo taken of the nearly 5-foot-wide creature by Josie Lim after her family came across it caught the attention of experts at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), who are in the process of naming the new type of lion’s mane jelly.

These jellyfish “look like a dinner plate with a mop hanging underneath … they have a really raggedy look to them,” said CSIRO expert Lisa-ann Gershwin. She called the find a "truly magnificent animal.”

Recent years have seen huge blooms of jellyfish in Tasmanian waters, and Gershwin says scientists are not sure why.

She told reporters that such a population explosion is likely to be having a significant impact on the marine ecosystem off southeastern Australia.