If you’re at all a fan of the Jersey shore (the actual beaches in New Jersey, not the TV show) then please take care next time you visit.
There could be a nasty surprise waiting for you — and you may not even notice until hours after you’ve left the beach.
Multiple outlets and watch groups in the Garden State are reporting that a nasty group of interlopers known as “clinging jellyfish” have returned to beaches — but there’s a new development that’s causing more concern than usual.
First, a visual aid from Paul Bologna, a Montclair State University marine biologist who also runs the New Jersey Jellyspotters Facebook group:
First clinging #jellyfish of the 2023 season from the north of Barnegat Bay NJ. Be careful out in the shallow vegetation @hydrozoan #10HSworkshop #hydrozoansociety pic.twitter.com/Ke1QmhqWUT
— Paul A. X. Bologna (@MSUjellyfish) May 22, 2023
“First clinging #jellyfish of the 2023 season from the north of Barnegat Bay NJ,” Bologna tweeted. “Be carefoul out in the shallow vegetation.”
According to the New York Post, the jellyfish are only the size of a quarter and were first discovered in 2016. Their small nature makes them particularly dangerous.
BEACH WARNING: More dangerous clinging jellyfish found along the Jersey Shore: https://t.co/orwhWsrAe3 pic.twitter.com/VS4D4iiEX7
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) June 15, 2016
“These little guys, these clingers, live in grass beds and algae. So they’re in shallow water. So if you’re out there throwing the football in the shallow water, you may run into ’em. And because they’re so small, you might not even see them or notice them,” Bologna explained to the Post.
The little critters aren’t just small, they feature 60 to 80 tentacles each.
And it’s those tentacles that house a particularly nasty surprise for anyone who happens to come in contact with them.
Those people just may not notice for a while.
“They’re kind of insidious because when you get stung, it’s not bad immediately, but four or five hours later the extreme pain starts to kick in,” Bologna added.
The marine biologist likened the pain to bad full-body cramping.
“If you’ve been stung by a bee or a wasp or a jelly, usually you get a lot of pain and then it kind of [subsides]. These guys, you tend to get stung, and then it’s three, four or five hours later that the pain really starts to kick in as the paralysis and toxins work through your system,” Bologna told New Jersey radio station WKXW.
They are bad news, but at least New Jersey has some experience dealing with them, since the state has been grappling with them for roughly seven years now.
Have you ever been stung by a jellyfish?
Yes: 50% (1 Votes)
No: 50% (1 Votes)
One key difference this year, according to WKXW, is that the 2023 clinging jellyfish have traveled farther south in New Jersey than has ever been reported before.
If you are stung by one, the New Jersey government actually suggests cleaning the sting site with salt water and removing any lingering tentacle bits without touching them (using a plastic card to flick/scrape off the tentacle bits, for instance).
Given the severity of the symptoms, ranging from severe pain to paralysis, you should “seek prompt medical attention” if the pain doesn’t subside or worsens.
