The rare mauve stinger jellyfish, which is capable of stinging not just from its tentacles but from all over its body, has been sighted along the Jersey Shore.
The Wildlife Trusts describes the species of jellyfish as “a bluey purple (mauve) color with a globe shaped umbrella covered in orangey brown warts. Long, thin tentacles hang down from around the bell.”
The species is not normally found so close to shore. As to why they have left the open ocean where they are normally spotted?
“Boy, that’s like the $64,000 question,” said Paul Bologna, the director of the Marine Biology and Coastal Sciences program at Montclair State University, to NJ.com.
Mr. Bologna suggests a number of natural push-and-pull factors for the mauve stingers, including a lack of rainfall, the open ocean being colder than normal, and the winds and tides.
Having trespassed on an environment full of people in late summer, the stingers have naturally lived up to their moniker.
“We have reports from Sandy Hook all the way down past Ocean County and really large numbers and a lot of people getting stung,” marine biologist Liza Baskin told News 12 New Jersey.
Unlike some other common species, the mauve stinger has the capability to sting not just through its tentacles but through other parts of its body, including the round “bell” that comprises much of its exterior body.
The sting can occur regardless of whether a specimen is alive or dead.
“Sometimes people pick up dead jellyfish by the bell — that should definitely not happen with this one because it can still sting you,” Ms. Baskin told NJ.com.
How bad is their sting? Mr. Bologna let himself be stung in order to find out.
“I’m like, ‘How bad could it be?’ Immediately, I used some choice four-letter words. And it was just like intense pain,” Mr. Bologna explained to NJ.com.
White vinegar, a saltwater rinse or a hot compress are all common antidotes for stings.
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