What month are jellyfish most active?

symptoms depend on the: type of jellyfish size of the sting number of stingers released amount of poison released person's own sensitivity to the venom person's general health status. Most symptoms will be mild and local to the sting area such as: immediate stinging pain at the site of the sting skin reactions such as redness and itching which can start immediately after being stung or sometime after the sting. More severe symptoms can include: severe pain long lasting pain swelling of the affected area significant and long lasting skin reactions. Serious sting reactions which require urgent medical attention. Very rarely a person might have a serious allergic reaction to a sting – breathing difficulties, chest tightness, swelling of the lips, mouth or tongue. A sting from a Lion’s Mane jellyfish can cause nausea, sweating, cramps, headaches and other symptoms. A sting from a Pelagia noctiluca (only occasionally found in Irish waters) can cause dizziness, vomiting, diarrhoea, difficulty breathing and other symptoms. A sting from the Portuguese Man O’War (rarely seen in Irish waters) can cause symptoms such as muscle spasms, headaches, diarrhoea, difficulty breathing, heart rhythm problems and other symptoms.

Jellyfish species can be found in Cornish waters, with most being harmless. The UK’s most common jellyfish, often seen in large numbers during the summer months, there’s no need to avoid this one in the water — the Moon Jellyfish is harmless to humans. About the size of a dinner plate, it is recognisable for its four distinct purple-pink circles visible through the bell and short tentacles. The Compass jellyfish is so named because of the brown markings on top of its translucent bell, reminiscent of a compass. Jellies tend to remain offshore but if they do float towards land, they’re often easy to spot, especially in clear water. The best thing you can do is to get to know your species of jellyfish in Cornwall so you know which ones to avoid should you see bobbing about in the water. In the majority of cases, getting stung by a jellyfish in Cornwall isn’t painful but can cause a rash. If this happens, it’s best to rinse the affected area with sea water (not fresh water), remove any tentacles with a pair of tweezers and soak in warm water — as hot as you can handle — as soon as you can. Swimming in wetsuits can provide protection if you’re feeling anxious about them, but, as this guide shows, there’s really no need to be fearful — stings are rarely a cause for concern, with the benefits of swimming in Cornish waters far outweighing any threat of jellyfish stings!

The moon jellyfish is almost entirely translucent and can be recognised by four bright pinkish/purple horseshoe-shaped circles, the gonads i.e., the reproductive system, seen through the top of the bell. The jellyfish has short thread-like tentacles around the edge of the bell attached to the bottom of a marginal membrane. It has four fringed oral arms that are longer than its tentacles. Behaviour The moon jellyfish is not a strong swimmer, mainly using its short tentacles to stay near the water surface, or pulsing the bell to push itself slowly forwards. It lives quite a solitary life, but wind and water currents often group the jellyfish together. Moon jellyfish are meat eaters. They eat molluscs and plankton, but also fish eggs and shrimps. They have a large stomach and will eat whenever they find something floating by. The tentacles have powerful toxins that immobilize the prey which is passed via cilia into its oral cavity for digestion.