Attention tourists! The appearance of stinging "omelette jellyfish" off the coast of southeastern Spain

According to the Spanish United Times on August 23, the Spanish Oceanographic Research Center recently released a report telling tourists who spend the summer vacation on the beaches along the Mediterranean coast to be careful of an "omelette" jellyfish whose number has recently risen sharply. This "new species", along with offshore microbes, including seaweed, can have an impact on tourists diving and swimming in the sea.

A kind of "omelette jellyfish" grows recklessly off the coast of Spain, don't be deceived by its "cute look". (Image source: Spanish United Times)

According to the report, Ignacio Franco, a staff member of the Ocean Center of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, said that in the Marmenor sea area of southeastern Spain, it was more common to see the sea moon jellyfish (Aurelia Aurita), which is mild and harmless and has no threat to human beings.

However, since mid-December last year, the jellyfish began to decline on the beaches of Murcia, and by June this year, it had basically disappeared completely, and a "new species" that had not appeared before was discovered, the Rhizostoma Pulmo. Because of its resemblance to an omelette, it is also called an "omelette jellyfish", and the tentacles of this jellyfish sting people.

According to Franco, the ecological environment of the Marmenor Sea has been changing in recent years, so the categories of marine life have also changed, and it is likely that new jellyfish species will appear at any time. In addition, in recent years, the microalgae in these areas have been enriched, making the sea water green, reducing the oxygen content in the water, and further causing the death of some marine life. At the same time, the use of polluting organic compounds has also exacerbated the death of marine life.

It is understood that this summer, a large number of Portuguese "carabela portguesa" (monk hat jellyfish) flooded the coast of the Mediterranean coast, and coastal towns such as Malaga to Alicante have even temporarily closed tourist beaches for treatment many times to avoid tourists being stung by such jellyfish.

The head of the tourism department of the region reminds tourists that if they are accidentally stung by jellyfish while on a beach vacation, the following measures can be taken for first aid: rinse the sting site with a large amount of seawater, and then ice it, and if conditions permit, rub some alkaline lotion, such as sodium bicarbonate, soapy water or alum.