Astonishment on a vacation island: jellyfish flood the beach

Port de Sóller (Mallorca/Spain) - At the moment, visitors to a small town in Mallorca who enjoy swimming are experiencing a blue wonder. Millions of tiny cnidarians have washed up on the beach virtually overnight.

Last Saturday morning, visitors to the beach were amazed when they found the countless sail jellyfish.
Last Saturday morning, visitors to the beach were amazed when they found the countless sail jellyfish.  © Screenshot: facebook.com/jakebullit

As"Mallorca Magazin" reports, the curious natural spectacle occurred last Saturday morning in Port de Sóller, a small village in the northwest of the vacation island.

What at first glance looks like a dense, blue carpet of mussels or stones is actually a huge collection of so-called sail jellyfish . Unlike some of its relatives, however, the sail jellyfish is not a single animal, but a group of many small polyps that have joined together and now live as a single unit.

It is precisely these little animals that have probably been washed up on the beach by the strong swell in recent days. There is no danger from the small cnidarians - their poison is completely harmless to humans. According to experts, it is also not unusual for the animals to wash up at this time of year. Nevertheless, the mass of animals causes another problem.

If the jellyfish are not removed from the beaches, they start to rot, which attracts insects and other animals as well as an unpleasant stench.

With a little imagination, the small sail jellyfish look a bit like small sailboats.
With a little imagination, the small sail jellyfish look a bit like small sailboats.  © Screenshot: facebook.com/jakebullit

Locals nicknamed sailing jellyfish the "boats of St. Peter"

The inhabitants of the island are already familiar with the little animals, as they are often encountered on the beach or in the open sea. On the island, they are nicknamed "Barquetes de Sant Pere", which translates as "boats of St. Peter".

This was given to them because of their characteristic "dorsal fin", which is strongly reminiscent of a ship's sail.