Army of jellyfish invade Malta

A massive number of jelly fish were today spotted along several seaside spots in Malta, with many of them having also been swept up to shore.

Photos of the onslaught by the gelatinous aquatic animals were posted on Facebook by Professor Alan Deidun from the University of Malta’s geosciences department, who said that millions of the creatures had arrived all along the entire east coast of the island.

Deidun, who manages the ‘Spot the Jellyfish’ campaign, identified the jellyfish as Pelagia noctiluca, commonly known as mauve stingers, which were seen in places including St Thomas Bay, Marsacala, Xghajra, Msida and Bahar ic-Caghaq.

“I had sort of predicted this last January, when we experienced a long dry and warm spell, that the major mauve stinger bloom this year would come early and would be of larger proportions,” Deidun wrote.

Mauve stingers, which normally bloom towards the end of this month, or early in June, are distributed widely in all warm and temperate waters around the world, including the Mediterranean Sea.

Their stings produce a burning sensation, intense pain, a rash and inflammation.