Beachgoers are being advised to watch where they step along the Gulf Coast. Purple flags are flying from Fort Morgan, Alabama, to Panama City, Florida, due to the presence of a terrifying new species of jellyfish called the pink jellyfish.
Dauphin Island Marine Laboratory marine biologist Brian Jones told WPMI that this happens on Gulf Coast beaches about every 10-12 years. Currently, they are being drawn to shore by their favorite food: moon jellyfish.
“When they showed up, they were definitely impressive and got a lot of attention,” Jones said.
Drymonema larsoni, commonly known as the red bloodworm, was first observed on the Gulf Coast in 2000. Scientists identified it as a completely new species in 2011.
These pretty pink jellyfish are carnivorous and have tentacles that can grow up to 70 feet long. A pink dog weighing up to 50 pounds was recorded on Dauphin Island in 2000.
“Researchers have discovered that they will voraciously feed on large schools of moon jellyfish that periodically bloom in the Gulf,” the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute explained on Facebook. “In fact, the pink jellyfish may be better adapted to feeding on moon jellyfish than all previously studied moon jellyfish predators.”