by On Cape Cod, a jellyfish species that isn’t often known to sting people has been doing precisely that, and scientists aren’t entirely sure why.
According to Nicole Corbett, director and president of the Popponesset Water Stewardship Alliance, moon jellyfish are normally harmless, but throughout the past 20 years, they have gotten bigger and started to bite individuals on Cape Cod.
People who haven’t even touched the jellyfish are getting stung by the mucus coating it left in the water, according to NBC10.
Some of the moon jellies that Corbett recently collected from the Nantucket Sound were as large as 14 inches across. The National Aquarium states that a moon jelly’s maximum size is often 12 inches.
According to Corbett, the moon jellyfish typically linger on Cape Cod for a few weeks, but for the past ten years, they have been sticking from July to October.
After crowdfunding to genetically test these moon jellies in 2021, Corbett said, They were considered to be a moon jelly, but the DNA didn t match known species of moon jellyfish.
According to Corbett, the absence of a genetic match is a clue.
There are two main theories: either this type of moon jelly had not yet undergone genetic testing and came from somewhere else, or the Cape Cod moon jelly mutated to have this size and stinging capability.
“We’re really trying to delve more into this mystery,” Corbett continued, “but getting some genetic testing was like the tip of the iceberg.”
The University of California Merced is working with 18 research institutions from Maine to Texas to find out if the moon jellies migrated in from somewhere else or mutated.
In the interim, what should you do if you get stung? In order to eliminate any leftover stinging cells and degrade venom, Corbett tested a line of jellyfish sting recovery kits in 2020. These kits included a vinegar, lab-grade urea-based spray, a lotion containing copper sulfate, and a heat pack.
Donations are used to fund the kits, which are available on 18 beaches in Barnstable as well as along the shores of Mashpee and Sudbury.
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