Rare jellyfish species that only appears in spring came out to greet these exploring locals
Jillian Mallia
29th March 2021
Maltese waters are known to be home to a number of species, including jellyfish buddies that may be an unwelcome sight if you’re minding your own business while swimming. But, they’re a pretty cool sight to behold. In fact, local explorers found a rare species that only makes an appearance during spring while out on their adventures in recent days.
“During one of our treks around the Maltese coast, promoting our beautiful seascapes with the whole world ... we met the below jelly fish,” says Conrad Neil Gatt on social media. “Obviously we admired this in its natural habitat, took only a photo of it and moved on.”
However, they obviously wanted to know more so they shared their findings on social media and tagged local marine expert Alan Deidun who shared some insight into the species. “This is a crystal or mutli-ribbed jellyfish belonging to the species Aequorea forskalea,” he said, sharing that it’s only spotted in spring in our waters.
According to the Oceana guide published by the University, this jellyfish has a “flattened umbrella with a thicker central part. The umbrella is transparent with blue radial canals running towards the umbrella rim” and has “numerous thin marginal tentacles, no oral tentacles.”
“This species inhabits temperate to tropical waters and coastal areas, although it may be spotted in the open sea. Common in spring, when it can be found in large numbers,” the guide shares.
Have you ever spotted it?