Giant Jellyfish Washes Ashore On Tasmanian Beach (PHOTO)

LOOK: That's One HUGE Jellyfish

Holy moly! That's a big jellyfish.

A giant jellyfish, which has been compared to "snot," was recently discovered by a local family after it washed ashore on a Tasmanian beach.

Josie Lim and her family were walking along a beach near Hobart when they spotted the unusual-looking creature and snapped a photo, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

"She and her children found the jellyfish and took this amazing photo that just boggles the mind," said Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin, a scientist at Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, according to BBC News.

(Story continues below)
jellyfish

The jellyfish's "body" stretches at least 1.5 meters wide (about 5 feet). Gershwin likened the jellyfish's size to the width of a Smart car, The Guardian reports.

The finding is exciting for Gershwin and other scientists in Australia, who are eager to study the humongous specimen. Though the giant jellyfish -- which researchers say is likely a lion's mane jellyfish -- has been seen before, scientists have yet to classify the species.

Now, with a specimen to analyze, researchers can give the giant jellyfish an official classification.

"It's one of these things that really makes us come face-to-face with the fact that there are things we don't know about out there in nature, particularly in the ocean," , told ABC Local Radio.

Before You Go

Horse Stuck In Bathtub

Animals In The News

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot