I had no idea freshwater jellyfish even existed until we saw a swarm of them while kayaking. I took a short video with my digital camera and managed to capture a few decent shots. They were about the size of a quarter and there were literally thousands of them. I did an online search and discovered that they were freshwater medusa jellyfish, a non-native species currently found in pretty much every state. They have the same stinging barbs as saltwater jellyfish but are apparently too small to sting human beings-definitely good news there! They're easiest to spot in late August/early September, so keep an eye out for them if you're going on the water.
Science Buzz-Freshwater Jellyfish
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This freaks me out more than a little bit, even if they can't sting! I haven't seen any in the lakes around us, but I will be on the look out now!
ReplyDeleteWow! I could have sworn I saw a dead one washed on shore at the lake the other day. Now I know it is possible.
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