Norway’s dreaded brennmaneter, large jellyfish that can leave swimmers with painful burns, are already showing up along the popular southern coast and prompting warnings for the summer season.
Researcher Tone Falkenhaug told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that swimmers, boaters and water skiers should prepare themselves for an invasion of the slimy jellyfish that can measure up to several centimeters wide.
“I’m afraid we’re heading into what can be called a ‘manetsommer’, when we’re seeing so many of them this early,” Falkenhaug told NRK. The brennmaneter have been spotted in the water all along the coast of Sørlandet during the first two weeks of June.
She blames “good growing conditions” in the water because of low temperatures, winds off the mainland and plenty of feed. The jellyfish eject toxins upon contact with human skin that can cause a burning sensation, rash and complications for anyone proving allergic.
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