A sea of jellyfish has left an unusual image in areas of Menorca, with points of the island covered in a blue tide caused by the arrival of thousands of specimens of the velella velella jellyfish. The Fontanelles area, in Menorca, has appeared these days covered in an intense blue color due to the massive arrival of these animals, which has left some spectacular images that are not usually seen on the Islands, images that have been collected by the
It is a type of jellyfish that is harmless to humans, as explained by Laura Prieto on IB3 Ràdio. Prieto is a member of the CSIC and participates in the Coastal Observation System of the Balearic Islands, which has been launched on the islands to detect this and other coastal phenomena. Prieto has insisted that these jellyfish do not sting because they are much smaller than other animals of these characteristics.
Its presence is common in spring throughout the coastal area of Spain, but this year the presence has been massive, probably due to the weather. The CSIC researcher points out that they move with the wind and are very small in size and the intense blue color shows that they are in good health, since when they have problems they begin to lose their characteristic color.
The researcher has pointed out that the arrival of other types of jellyfish such as the Portuguese man-of-war is also common in spring, but in this case they are dangerous because they sting. This year, Portuguese man-of-war have not yet been detected on the coasts of the Balearic Islands, but the presence of velella velella has been seen in other coastal areas of Mallorca, although the concentration seen in Menorca has been higher this year.
