The blue jellyfish is a beautiful animal often seen around the UK coastline in summer and autumn. They are attracted inshore by blooms of plankton that provide a plentiful and healthly food supply. The blue jellyfish can drift along for miles, easily capturing prey with its dense array of stinging tentacles.
The blue jellyfish is often confused with a larger but similarly shaped jellyfish called the lion’s mane jellyfish, the blue jellyfish can be colourless when young and develop a striking blue-purple bell as it matures.
Like many of the jellyfish species, this animal does sting, so if you find one on the beach it's best to avoid this jellyfish and not to handle it.
