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Tiny Stingers

July 23, 2018

These delicate creatures are no bigger than a quarter, but their tentacles can sometimes deliver painful stings. Clinging jellyfish are found along the northeastern U.S. coast. Beachgoers need not be overly concerned, however, as these jellyfish prefer to hang out in eelgrass beds and seaweed rather than in the pounding surf of most ocean beaches. WHOI researcher Annette Govindarajan is studying their genetics to better understand their toxicity and how they are spreading. If you find a clinging jellyfish this summer, do not try to touch or collect it. Instead, please send us an email at jellyfish@whoi.edu and tell us where you saw it. (Photo by Véronique LaCapra, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)