1000’s of jellyfish wash up on Georgia shoreline – KIRO 7 Information Seattle

TYBEE ISLAND, Georgia – Thousands of cannonball jellyfish washed ashore on Tybee Island and other Georgia beaches on Friday.

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The jellyfish smack was several feet wide and stretched all along the coast, the Savannah Morning News reported.

“It was honestly a little intimidating because I’ve never seen this before,” said Jodi Moody. “And I’ve been walking on the beach quite often for years and hadn’t seen it before.”

The jellyfish species is a common sight, just not in exponential numbers, WSBTV reported.

“It happens every year, maybe not that focused in a single area,” Shawn Gillen, Tybee Island city manager, told the Savannah Morning News. “They wash up and strand on the beach and become food for the birds and crabs. And then they are washed out by the next flood or buried in the sand. We just let nature take its course. “

Cannonball jellyfish, the most abundant jellyfish on the southeast coast, are usually found in estuaries and salt water. They don’t sting, but they carry a toxin that can cause heart problems or an allergic reaction in people and animals, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

They do not swim. Rather, they float where the winds and tides take them. A strong wind on Friday pushed them ashore. They were found on other Georgia beaches as well, state officials said.

“It only happens regularly,” Tyler Jones, a spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources, told the Morning News. “It’s not like a sign of the apocalypse or anything.”

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