The mysteries of jellyfish lake
Multiple massive, rare jellyfish washed up on the Texas coast recently, surprising some beachgoers and feasting on a smaller jellyfish species.
Jace Tunnell, the director of community engagement at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi's Harte Research Institute, said on social media that he had seen more than 10 "pink meanie" jellyfish along the state's Gulf coast. Commentators said they had also seen the jellyfish in recent days.
Pink meanie jellyfish, or Drymonema larsoni, can grow to have 70-foot tentacles and can weigh more than 50 pounds, Tunnell said. The common name comes from their bright color. Tunnell said the jellyfish "look like floating cotton candy in the water," but noted that they tend to lose their color if they wash up on the shore, making them harder for beachcombers to identify.
Rare species of jellyfish "Pink Meanie" consuming another type of jellyfish "Moon Jelly" in clear waters of Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Destin, Florida, USA.
Getty Images/iStockphoto
The jellyfish do sting, but Tunnell said the sensation is "pretty mild."
Pink meanies eat primarily moon jellyfish, a small, common species. Thousands of them can be present at any time, Tunnell said. The pink meanies largely follow moon jellyfish. Without that species, the pink meanies tend to "die off real quick," Tunnell said.
Pink meanies were only identified as a new species in 2011. Researchers had first seen them in the Gulf of Mexico as early as 2001, but believed them to be a recognized species from the Mediterranean, according to National Geographic. Eventually, genetic research led scientists to understand that the pink meanies were actually an entirely different family of jellyfish, National Geographic said.
In addition to moon jellies, the pink meanies need warm water to thrive, Tunnell said. They can die if the water is too cold. Tunnell said that pink meanies can be found in the Gulf, in the Mediterranean, and around South Africa.
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
