Biology


Clinging Jellyfish
Clinging Jellyfish - Gonionemus vertens
very dangerous

This is a Pacific coast jellyfish that has been spotted along the East Coast for many years, but until recently has been uncommon. It is slightly larger than a quarter, about one inch in diameter. The sting of this jellyfish will send you to the hospital, not just people that are especially sensitive, but anyone. It is found in bays and inlets where it clings to seagrasses, it is not normally found in the open ocean. Your best protection against jellyfish stings is an exposure suit; even a lycra skin is thick enough to block the microscopic stingers.

  • Clinging Jellyfish Fact Sheet

Rare mauve stinger jellyfish found at the Jersey Shore. Its sting is 'intense,' scientists warn.

By Brianna Kudisch
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Aug. 31, 2022

Mauve stingers are typically found in the open ocean, not along the coast, marine scientists said.
Provided by Maggie McGuire

Maggie McGuire was at Sea Watch Beach in Manasquan with her family Monday when they spotted something unusual in the water - a small, umbrella-shaped, purplish-pink jellyfish speckled with dots. They scooped one up with their bucket and let it swim around in the water before eventually releasing it on the other side of the beach, away from swimmers.

"The water was literally filled with them," McGuire recalled. Her kids caught and released probably a dozen, she estimated, and other kids were doing the same. She did a quick search online, found a Facebook group - New Jersey Jellyspotters - and posted photos of the jellyfish. Two marine biologists reached out and informed her they were mauve stingers, a species rarely found on New Jersey beaches.


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