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Some quick thinking Snells Beach locals attempted to save the life of a giant jellyfish after it washed up on shore.
Fae Bagosi first found the giant jelly on the mud flats and called in Snells Beach photographer Jill Guillemin to document it. Jill quickly recruited two boys playing on the beach with their sand spades.
Leo, 11, and Jack, 10, set to work digging a trench through the mud to create a channel to allow the jellyfish to drift back out to sea.
Unfortunately, the creature was immobile so the boys used a 60-litre plastic storage container to transfer it back to the sea.
The boys had to take great care not to be stung by its venomous tentacles.
The creature was subsequently identified as a lion’s mane jellyfish, one of the largest known species in the world. They can have bodies more than two metres wide and up to 1200 tentacles, which can grow 30 metres long. Their tentacles are extremely sticky and are used to capture and pull in fish. Their stings are not known to be fatal, although if a person swims into one they could require medical attention.
Lion’s mane jellyfish are weak swimmers and their large size makes them susceptible to washing up on shore.
