Massive ‘blob’ on South Carolina beach is really a jellyfish that’s unnerving people

A “mammoth” jellyfish was found on a South Carolina beach earlier this month, and widely shared photos of it sprawled out like a gooey throw rug have shaken ocean lovers.

“Big” for stinging jellyfish in South Carolina is about 20 inches, but the one photographed by Fannie “Gee” Giuliano of Myrtle Beach “was several feet wide,” she told McClatchy News.

It washed up March 9, not far from the 125-acre Myrtle Beach Travel Park, a popular coastal campground, she wrote on Facebook.

“On my walk tonight I spotted the largest jellyfish I have ever seen on the beach,” Giuliano said.

“I walked up only because I thought it was a plastic bag,” she added, ”and I was going to put it in the trash but I changed my mind when I saw what it was.”

The photo quickly spread on Facebook and Twitter, prompting viewers to use words like “mammoth” and “mutant” to describe it.

WPDE Chief Meteorologist Ed Piotrowski was among those sharing the photos, telling his 33,000 Twitter followers it is “the biggest jellyfish I’ve ever seen in Myrtle Beach.” His Facebook post of the jellyfish has more than 6,000 reactions and nearly 1,000 comments, many from people intimidated by the idea of something so big stinging them.

“Step away from the Blob,” Rockey Caldwell wrote. “Has no one seen a 50’s horror movie ever? This is how it starts. Next thing you know that thing is all over you eating you whole.”

“I would lose my mind if I was in the water and turned around to see this!” Dana Besner Galatro said.

“Looks like death waiting for some poor swimmer!” Valerie Corder posted.

The jellyfish’s exact species hasn’t been declared, but there is speculation it could be an invasive species known as the Australian spotted jellyfish.

“Researchers have found one with a 28 inch bell diameter off of the coast of North Carolina,” the Texas Invasive Species Institute reports.

Five species of jellyfish, plus the Portuguese Man o’ War, frequent the South Carolina coast, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

If the jellyfish is one of those five native species, it could be a mushroom jellyfish, which is the largest at “10-20 inches in diameter.” It is not considered hazardous to humans, state officials say.

“Most jellyfish along the South Carolina coast inflict only mild stings that result in minor discomfort,” the department says.

This story was originally published March 18, 2021 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Massive ‘blob’ on South Carolina beach is really a jellyfish that’s unnerving people."