Jellyfish clumps reported on Georgia islands

Hundreds of jellyfish were reported washed up on Tybee, Jekyll and St. Simons islands over the weekend, but state officials said there is no need to worry.

Tyler Jones of the state Department of Natural Resources coastal resource division told WTOC the Cannonball Jellyfish are harmless, but there could be other types of jellyfish in the clumps and urged caution.

Jones said the wash-up happens every year.

“They don’t even have the ability to swim, so basically what happened is they got washed up on shore with the current and the very strong easterly wind we had last week. They strand themselves on the beach where most of them will die. They’ll be food for other animals and gradually over time they will kind of desiccate or dry up and they’ll be carried back out to sea eventually, those that are not eaten by birds and things like that,” Jones told the station.

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