Giant Jellyfish as Big as a Human Spotted Off UK Coast

By: | July 23rd, 2019

Image courtesy (Lizzie Daly/Twitter)

We all know that the oceans cover more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface but did you know that 94 percent of life on Earth is aquatic…making we land-dwellers a very small minority.

We are planning colonies on Mars, but the oceans that drive our weather, regulate temperature, and ultimately support all living organisms are yet to be explored. In fact, more than 95 percent of the ocean remains unexplored. 

Oceans continue to surprise us

Recently Underwater cinematographer Dan Abbott and biologist Lizzie Daly came across the huge barrel jellyfish while diving near Falmouth off the coast of Cornwal. Daly was in shock swimming alongside the huge barrel jellyfish. Daly swam up to this human sized jellyfish, as Abbott captured the encounter.

Daly said, “We weren’t expecting anything,” Daly said. “It was an absolute delight to get that experience.”

Pair of lucky divers was diving as part of Wild Ocean Week, a fundraising measure of Marine Conservation Society of the UK, which was meant to document various marine species off the coast.

Abbott said, “My first reaction was that I’ve never seen a jellyfish that size in my life,”

He added, “We estimate the jellyfish to be around 1.5 meters (5 feet) long, the same size as Lizzie,” “The feeling seeing a jellyfish that size was incredible. Neither of us had ever seen one that big before and it was a humbling and beautiful experience to be able to share its home for a few moments.”

Nidhi Goyal

Nidhi is a gold medalist Post Graduate in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.

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