Thousands of jellyfish both dead and alive have been found washed up on the beaches of Cornwall.
Mauve Stingers, also known as Pelagia noctiluca, aren’t lethal to humans but their sting can be extremely painful.
They are usually blue or purple in colour, and while they may only grow up to 4in across their tentacles can reach up to 10ft long.
Rachael Edmans was going for a paddle in the sea at Falmouth when she found huge numbers of the creatures both on the beach and floating in the water.
They’ve been found on a 30-mile stretch of Cornish coastline between Falmouth and St Austell.
She told The Sun: ‘I was very surprised to see so many mauve stingers.
‘Usually we see lots of compass jellyfish. But never that many.’
While Alison Wilcock, another local, spotted hundreds of them on the beach at St Austell, saying: ‘We usually get a few every year but nothing like this.
‘The whole of St Austell is teeming with them.’
The Cornwall Wildlife Trust has issued a warning about the jellyfish on Facebook, highlighting that they can still sting when out of the water.
The post read: ‘We’ve received lots of reports of more mauve stingers washing up on Cornwall’s beaches over the weekend.
‘Hundreds of jellyfish can be seen in the rockpools and on the beach [in Falmouth].
‘Be careful! The mauve stinger is a small jellyfish, but one that packs a powerful punch, with long tentacles and warty structures on its “bell” full of stinging cells, even when washed ashore.’
It is relatively uncommon to find these jellyfish in British waters, especially in such large swathes, according to the Wildlife Trusts.
Anyone planning to take a dip in the Cornish sea is advised to wear a wetsuit to avoid being stung.
The Mauve Stinger prefers warmer waters such as the Mediterranean, but they may have been brought to our shores due to rising sea temperatures.
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