Aspen Pflughoeft
Tue, July 4, 2023
Photo from the Cork County Council Beachguards
Stranded on the wet sand of the beach in southern Ireland sat a reddish pink gelatinous sea creature. Dead or alive, as long as it sat in the sand, the doomed animal posed a danger to beachgoers.
The gelatinous sea creatures were spotted on beaches in County Cork and identified as lion’s mane jellyfish, the Irish news outlet CorkBeo reported.
Lion’s mane jellyfish are “one of the largest jelly species in the world,” according to Oceana. Their bodies can reach 6.5 feet in size while their tentacles can stretch up to 120 feet.
The jellyfish got its name from its tentacles, which appear to form a “mane” and deliver the “bite of a lion,” according to The Wildlife Trusts. These tentacles pack a “very nasty sting” — “even if they’re no longer attached to the jellyfish.”
“The lion’s mane is known as the most dangerous jellyfish that can appear in Irish waters,” CorkBeo reported.
The animal’s sting is “not usually” fatal but can cause “nausea, sweating, cramps, headaches and other symptoms,” the Irish Examiner reported.
Because of the danger the animals pose, sightings of lion’s mane jellyfish prompted a beach closure on July 3, the Cork County Council Beachguards said.
These jellyfish “are normally found in the northern half of Ireland,” the Big Jellyfish Hunt, a wildlife group from University College Cork dedicated to the animal, said. County Cork is along a harbor on the southern coast, about 160 miles southwest of Dublin.
“Recently we have had many reports of lion’s mane in County Cork,” wildlife experts said. “It is very unusual to see so many lion’s mane jellyfish stranding in Cork and sometimes up to 10 observed together at sea.”
The Big Jellyfish Hunt suggested that the recent lion’s mane jellyfish sightings are occurring because the animals “were swept out of their normal home range” in Dublin Bay as babies.
Beachgoers were encouraged to report sightings of the sea creature, wildlife experts said.
Vibrant creature found near Thailand is perplexing — and a new species. Take a look
Moira Ritter
Mon, July 3, 2023
More than 15 years ago, a group of nature lovers were on their way to the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand when something strange caught their eye: a rock-licking fish with a bright red tail.
After arriving at their camp, the visitors went diving and discovered the fish, which was determined to be a new species and was named the Garra Red tail — because it is a member of the diverse Garra genus and because of its coloring, according to a post from the Facebook page Freshwater Fishes of Thailand by Dr. Nonn Panitvong.
This is the sixth species of Garra discovered in the area, according to the study.
Since then, the fish has been known throughout the aquarium trade as the Redtail Garra. Now, for the first time, experts have scientifically identified the creature as an official new species.
Co-authors Weerapongse Tangjitjaroen, Zachary S. Randall, Sampan Tongnunui, David A. Boyd and Lawrence M. Page, describe the fish and identify it as Garra panitvongi in a new study published June 30 in Zootaxa.
Here’s what to know about the creature.
Garra: a diverse genus
Researchers said they collected samples of the new species from the Salween River basin in southeastern Myanmar and western Thailand. The discovery of Garra panitvongi marks the sixth species of Garra discovered in the river basin, according to the study.
There are 189 species of Garra — making it one of the most diverse genera of fish in the world — ranging “from western Africa to China, north to Turkey and Afghanistan, and south to Borneo,” researchers said. Five of those species have been previously identified in the Salween river basin.
The samples were specifically collected from Kasat River in the Kayin State of Myanmar and the Kanchanaburi Province of Thailand.
A distinctive appearance
The newest species of Garra is distinguished by its vibrant coloring and uniquely shaped proboscis, experts said.
The fish’s caudal fin, or tail, and the back quarter of its body is a “red-orange color,” photos show.
The creature’s distinctive red-orange tail made it stand out from other similar species, experts said.
Researchers also noted its pointy proboscis, which is a long and thin tube positioned at about the same height as the fish’s eye. The proboscis is also significant because of the blue stripe that originates at its tip and extends in a V-shape towards the creature’s eye.
Researchers also noted the unique blue, v-shaped stripes on the creature’s proboscis.
Aside from its brightly colored tail, the fish has a dark greenish body and head, the study said. It has six to seven black stripes on its sides before it transitions to its red-orange coloration.
Experts said the fish lacks black spots on its proboscis and bands on its tail that other similar species in the area have.
The fish are an average of about 3.6 inches long, the study said.
Google Translate was used to translate the Facebook post from Freshwater Fishes of Thailand by Dr. Nonn Panitvong.
Deep-sea creature — a new species with eye-catching snout — discovered near Madagascar
New striped creature — with orange groin and unique mating call — found in Australia
Dark purple creature hidden beneath rocks on Thai island discovered as new species
Moira Ritter
Mon, July 3, 2023
More than 15 years ago, a group of nature lovers were on their way to the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand when something strange caught their eye: a rock-licking fish with a bright red tail.
After arriving at their camp, the visitors went diving and discovered the fish, which was determined to be a new species and was named the Garra Red tail — because it is a member of the diverse Garra genus and because of its coloring, according to a post from the Facebook page Freshwater Fishes of Thailand by Dr. Nonn Panitvong.
This is the sixth species of Garra discovered in the area, according to the study.
Since then, the fish has been known throughout the aquarium trade as the Redtail Garra. Now, for the first time, experts have scientifically identified the creature as an official new species.
Co-authors Weerapongse Tangjitjaroen, Zachary S. Randall, Sampan Tongnunui, David A. Boyd and Lawrence M. Page, describe the fish and identify it as Garra panitvongi in a new study published June 30 in Zootaxa.
Here’s what to know about the creature.
Garra: a diverse genus
Researchers said they collected samples of the new species from the Salween River basin in southeastern Myanmar and western Thailand. The discovery of Garra panitvongi marks the sixth species of Garra discovered in the river basin, according to the study.
There are 189 species of Garra — making it one of the most diverse genera of fish in the world — ranging “from western Africa to China, north to Turkey and Afghanistan, and south to Borneo,” researchers said. Five of those species have been previously identified in the Salween river basin.
The samples were specifically collected from Kasat River in the Kayin State of Myanmar and the Kanchanaburi Province of Thailand.
A distinctive appearance
The newest species of Garra is distinguished by its vibrant coloring and uniquely shaped proboscis, experts said.
The fish’s caudal fin, or tail, and the back quarter of its body is a “red-orange color,” photos show.
The creature’s distinctive red-orange tail made it stand out from other similar species, experts said.
Researchers also noted its pointy proboscis, which is a long and thin tube positioned at about the same height as the fish’s eye. The proboscis is also significant because of the blue stripe that originates at its tip and extends in a V-shape towards the creature’s eye.
Researchers also noted the unique blue, v-shaped stripes on the creature’s proboscis.
Aside from its brightly colored tail, the fish has a dark greenish body and head, the study said. It has six to seven black stripes on its sides before it transitions to its red-orange coloration.
Experts said the fish lacks black spots on its proboscis and bands on its tail that other similar species in the area have.
The fish are an average of about 3.6 inches long, the study said.
Google Translate was used to translate the Facebook post from Freshwater Fishes of Thailand by Dr. Nonn Panitvong.
Deep-sea creature — a new species with eye-catching snout — discovered near Madagascar
New striped creature — with orange groin and unique mating call — found in Australia
Dark purple creature hidden beneath rocks on Thai island discovered as new species
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