Purple jellyfish with multiple mouths could be new species
Australian Associated Press
theguardian.com, Wednesday 21 May 2014 02.57 EDT
Lifeguards on the Queensland's sunshine coast found the extraordinary creature and handed it over to scientists
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The vivid purple jellyfish was washed up on Coolum beach on the sunshine coast on
Wednesday. Photograph: Coolum Beach Surf and Life Saving Club/AAP
Scientists believe a bright purple jellyfish covered in tiny mouths that has washed up on a Queensland beach could be an undiscovered species.
The extraordinary colour of the creature has baffled marine experts, who are now trying to determine the species.
"It's straight out of science fiction," said marine biologist Dr Lisa Gershwin, who will analyse the jellyfish on Wednesday. "It's an electric, vibrant, ‘wow’ purple."
She said the tentacles, or oral arms, were about a metre long and covered in microscopic mouths.
More:
http://www.theguardian.com/environme...be-new-species