Thousands of bluebottle jellyfish wash ashore in Australia

Posted on 7 January 2019

Swimming spots in Queensland, Australia had to be closed after hordes of bluebottle jellyfish washed ashore, stinging thousands of beachgoers.

According to Surf Life Saving Queensland, over 2,600 people had to be treated from stings over the weekend alone. Although bluebottle stings are painful, fortunately they’re not life-threatening.

 

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All these blue things? They’re not plastic bags … 〰 Beachgoers looking to beat the heat on Australia’s east coast have been urged to be on the lookout for a familiar and unwelcome visitor, with vast numbers of bluebottles being pushed onshore by strong winds. 〰 Director of the Australian Marine Stinger Advisory Service, Lisa-ann Gershwin, said the striking blue jellyfish lived in armadas in the middle of the ocean and had a keel-like crest and trailing tentacles. She said a bluebottle’s crest acted like a sail and they were pushed along by strong winds. 〰 “They get picked up by the wind and blown as long as the wind keeps going or until they hit land and strand on the beaches, so that’s when we see them obviously,” Dr Gershwin said. 〰 “Some of the bluebottle sails are right-handed and some are left-handed, across the body, so when the wind comes up it only grabs the ones with the sail going the right way for that particular breeze. It’s nature’s way of making sure the population never becomes extinct.” 〰 Link in bio 🔗 〰 📷 Supplied: Kim Colville 〰 #nature #jellyfish #bluebottle #water #ocean #sea #wildlife #australia

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2,630 people stung over the weekend and beaches closed. #bluebottle #beaches #bluebottles

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Strong winds are said to be reason for the vast numbers of blue jelly visitors being pushed onto the beach.

A whopping 13,000 stings were reported in the past week, three times as many as in the same period last year.

 

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#bluebottles#blue#beach#bluebottle#burleigh#burleighbeach

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The largest number of incidents took place in Queensland’s Gold and Sunshine Coast regions, where more than 5,000 people were stung over the weekend.

As of today the windy conditions have eased off, but remnants of the bluebottle armada can still be seen along the shore.

Although bluebottle jellyfish are not uncommon on Australia’s east coast, many locals and marine authorities in the area referred to the influx of the little blue visitors as an “epidemic” or “invasion”.

Dr Lisa-Ann Gershwin, a jellyfish expert from the Australian Marine Stinger Advisory Services, told BBC News it was unusual to see gatherings in such numbers, although the strong wind and heat spells had been unusual this year as well.

She said that given the unusually windy weather conditions, the number of jellyfish are “not abnormal”. The species is most commonly found in deeper seas, but can be moved by the wind quite easily because of the crests on their backs that look and act like sails.

 

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Unfortunately there has been a lot of blue bottles around over the last week. They really can wreck a good day at the beach. Don’t step on them and definitely try to avoid them wrapping around you body. If you do get stung, remove the tentacle, immerse the stung area in hot water for at least 20 minutes (water temperature to be as hot as you can withstand). If no hot water available use ice pack on the stung area. . . . . #lennoxheadbeach #lennoxheadalstonvilleslsc #northcoastnsw #northernnsw #northernriversnsw #bluebottle #bluebottles #pacificmanofwar #portuguesemanofwar #marinestingers #marinelife #mysurflife #myaussiebeaches #macro #macrophotography #macro_love #ozshot #beachlife #lifeisbetteratthebeach #discoverballina #byronandbeyond

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How does something so pretty hurt so much #stungbystinger #stinger #naturephotography #nature #beach #jellyfish #bluebottle

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#bluebottle #mudjimba #sunshinecoast #stingers #beach #queensland #australia #beachdays #happy #joy #sand #ocean #relax #holidays #reflection

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‘Man o War’ aka Blue Bottle washed up on the Gold Coast beaches today 🌊 Their sting can pack quite a punch to the unsuspecting swimmer 🏄‍♀️ Interesting fact the Blue Bottle is made up of four organisms that bind to form a colony for their own survival 😱 #bluebottle #bluebottlejellyfish #macrophotography #visitgoldcoast #photography #photographer #nikond3400 #dslr #seeaustralia #surfer_magazine #surfphotography #brisbaneanyday #oceanphotography #brisbanephotographer #travelqld #ig_discover_australia #ausphotomag #photographerslife @nikonaustralia #Nikon #NikonAustralia #NikonTop #NikonPhotography #NikonPhotographers #NIKKOR #MyNikonLife #NikonPhotographer #snapbridge

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Only got stung one time trying to get cool pics of these little buggers 🙄😂 #bluebottle #invasion

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Picture: abcnews_au






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