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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Nothing to trifle with: Swarms of jellyfish like these pelagias are taking over the Mediterranean and could be a danger to tourists, warn experts

Enormous swarms of jellyfish - some of them deadly - are taking over the Mediterranean, a top scientist has warned.

The holiday hotspot, a favourite with Brits, has seen a sharp increase in numbers and could turn into an 'ocean of jellyfish'.

Now researchers have set up a 'Jellywatch' so the public can report sightings via a website or by using a phone app.


Invasion: Blooms of Aurelia jellyfish like this one await sun-seekers heading for a winter break in the Mediterranean.. and it's getting worse

The scheme started in Italy and Israel three years ago after growing public fears over jellyfish 'blooms'. Monitoring has since begun in Spain.

The man behind the plan, Professor of zoology Ferdinando Boero, warned: 'Jellyfish cause problems for swimmers, particularly as some species are a real health hazard.

'An Italian woman was killed last year after being stung by a Portuguese Man o' War.


Deadly: A Portuguese Man o' War like this one killed a woman off the coast of Italy

'Jellyfish have clogged industrial marine cooling systems in Israel and they have also caused problems for power plants in the US and Scotland.'

He said: 'While jellyfish are a natural feature of the Mediterranean, 'jelly blooms' were rarely seen until the last few years when massive swarms became a frequent sight in coastal waters..

'This causes all sorts of problems and one of the biggest is obviously tourism.'


source: dailymail

By ANNA EDWARDS

Pleased as punch with his porkpie hat: The dolphin sported the jellyfish like a traditional Kiss Me Quick hat

This playful dolphin seems to have entered into the spirit of the British seaside holiday by sporting a jellyfish in the style of a 'Kiss Me Quick' porkpie hat.

The energetic mammal proudly emerged from the sea off Scotland with a jellyfish jauntily balanced on its head.

The bottlenose dolphin then seemed to have a change of heart about his choice of iconic headgear, because he shook off the common jellyfish, which had stayed on his head as he came out of the water.


Bored now! The fickle bottlenose dolphin quickly changed his mind about his headgear, and flicked the poor jellyfish off

He promptly threw the probably-terrified jellyfish to a friend like a frisbee, while he and his playmates frolicked in the sea.

Photographer Chris Wilson, 46, watched the action at Chanonry Point, on the Moray Firth, near Inverness, Scotland.

source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

The jellyfish looks like a poached egg that has been dropped into a pan of water. The creature has a very mild sting which has little effect on humans


They might look tasty but you probably wouldn't want one of these on your toast in the morning.

For these bizarre fried eggs are actually a peculiar type of jellyfish that has just been successfully born in captivity.

The photos were taken by keen photographer Torben Webber, who scrambled for his camera after hearing the unusual creatures had been born.

The odd jellyfish are found naturally in the Mediterranean, because they require a huge amount of sunlight to survive.

When captive they are incredibly difficult to breed - but staff at Basel Zoo, Switzerland, have managed to imitate their natural conditions and a new batch of tiny jellyfish have been born.

A staff member said: 'Breeding is a real challenge because they're only found in far-off ocean fisheries and transportation is so difficult.

'So we have to mimic the natural environment with special daylight lamps to illuminate the aquarium as well as making sure there are lots of meals a day.

'The young jellyfish are tiny, just a few centimetres but they take the egg shape right away - we have to keep them away from the lights at first in case they toast.'


The fried egg jellyfish need lots of sunlight to survive and are hard to breed in captivvity


The fried egg jellyfish, also known as medusa, produce eggs that are fertilised in sea water, which then develop into a tiny larva fixed to sea bed organisms.

They can measure up to 35cm in diameter when fully grown, and in contrast to most jellyfish they move on their own by moving the 'white' of the egg in a waving motion.

Torben took his amazing pictures on November 4 with his Nikon d3s camera.
He said: 'They're beautiful creatures - but they are very unusual looking.'


source: dailymail