Trumpet jellyfish take over Crimean coast

Boris Anninsky, a senior researcher at the Department of Animal Physiology and Biochemistry of the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, said that trumpet jellyfish cover the western coast of Crimea.

The scientist points out that this phenomenon may be caused by strong winds and the movement of coastal water currents.

“According to the information received, large groups of large trumpet jellyfish were washed by the winds to the western coast of Crimea, especially near the Tarkhankut region. The reason may be strong northwest winds and coastal circulating currents. This huge number of trumpet jellyfish indicates, on the one hand, that their numbers have increased significantly this year, and on the other hand, it may be a special case related to the nature of the weather in July,” he says.

According to him, the appearance of trumpet jellyfish in such large numbers is rather an anomalous phenomenon, linked to strong winds and currents, because they do not gather together in a swarm. In addition, jellyfish are usually active during this period.

He asserts that the reason for the abnormal increase in the number of trumpet jellyfish in the Black Sea may be the high abundance of small plankton living in warm waters and the low numbers of Mnemiopsis leidyi, the jellyfish's main competitor.

It is worth noting that trumpet jellyfish live in the Black Sea, the Sea of ​​Azov, the Mediterranean and the Adriatic Sea. They do not pose a great danger to humans, but it is not recommended to touch them and swim near these marine creatures. The maximum diameter of the "umbrella" of the trumpet jellyfish is 35-40 centimeters.