Marine biologist Alan Deidun issued a warning post about an explosion of reports regarding ‘stinging snakes’ all over Maltese waters.
The creature described is actually a ‘colony of stinging cells known as siphonophore’, and they are close relatives to the dreaded Portuguese man o’war jellyfish.
‘This species is sighted in Maltese waters over the January-May period but, for some reason, in reason days, there has been an explosion of reports of this species in local waters’ explained Deidun in the group ‘Jellyfish in Malta.
The reports have reportedly come from as far apart as Ċirkewwa, Marsaxlokk, Birzebbuga, Mistra and St Paul’s bay.
‘The species in question could be Forskalia edwardsii and it can reach a total length of 10 metres’ Deidun explained.
Deidun runs the Spot the Jellyfish Campaign, which raises awareness about jellyfish and other creatures which could potentially deliver a nasty sting when you go for a dip in one of Malta’s beaches.
#MaltaDaily