Giant Black Jellyfish Appear On Californian Coasts
Much to the horror of Californian beach goers, one more story has surfaced to renew their fear of the deep blue waters. Amidst a number of recent stories about uncharacteristic jellyfish appearances at shores that are not their regular haunts, California has an interesting tale of its own to tell.
Giant black sea nettle jellyfish have recently appeared along the California coastline. Apart from causing fear of stings, this phenomenon has also re-opened the debate about the origins of these strange creatures.
Recently sighted in San Diego Bay, these mysterious jellyfish, Chrysaora achlyo, were known to have first visited the West Coast back in the early 1900s. After this first recorded appearance, they seemed to have disappeared from the western coast. However, they are known to have returned a few times over the course of the century.
Suddenly, in 1989 the enormous jellyfish arrived en masse to San Diego. And ever since these curious creatures seemed to have gravitated to the western shore at least every couple of years. They are known for visiting a large chunk of the shore, drifting from San Diego down to Baja California in Mexico.
However alarming their more frequent presence of late may be, it has left a number of scientists flummoxed about the basic characteristics about these animals. They are still struggling to understand these fantastic creatures and there is still a lot to be discovered about them. One of the most tantalizing unanswered questions is, "Where do they come from?"
Scientists have a number of hypotheses, although none of them can be confirmed as yet. Most likely it is that warming waters are changing ocean currents, and, correspondingly, changing these animal's travel itineraries.
The Golden State's plankton-rich waters, a result of man-made, nutrient-laden waste water draining into the ocean, seem to add a delicious incentive for the jellyfish to linger there, plankton being their primary diet. These animals spend the majority of their short life cycles, which run from spring until the end of summer, grazing on plankton.
Now that the jellyfish are back in town, scientists will have plenty of opportunities to better study their behavior. Of course, anyone can enjoy watching these amazing creatures pulse through the water, but it's best to observe from afar. These jellyfish are infamous for their painful, although not lethal, stings.
Link: http://news.discovery.com/animals/mysterious-black-jellyfish-crowd-california-coast.html
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