Panjim: A purple jellyfish washed ashore on Thursday afternoon in front of Parola Beach shack in Benaulim. A tourist spotted the jellyfish after coming out of the water. This particular species is nontoxic.
The purple jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca) is widely distributed in all warm and temperate waters of the world’s oceans, including the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean. The 8 tentacles, mouth, arms, and bell are covered in tiny dots, which are bundles of stinging cells (nematocysts) that will leave a painful, itchy rash if you come into contact with them.
Locals say that Benaulim beach is a jellyfish free beach and this particular specimen could have been caught in a fisherman’s net and later thrown back into the sea and thus washed up ashore.
Drishti lifeguards at the beach advised people going into the waters to be alert of the jellyfish and not to come in contact with them.
