Clinging Jellyfish in Cape May County

The animal

• About the size of a dime — roughly 1 inch across — and nearly transparent, so it is easy to miss.
• Has more than 60 tentacles and carries a neurotoxin; stings can be painful and, for some people, cause symptoms beyond the skin.
• Lives in shallow estuaries and back bays, typically in water up to about 4 feet deep, where it clings to eelgrass and submerged vegetation. It is not an open-surf animal.
• This is not the common sea nettle; it is much smaller and its sting can hit harder.
• In New Jersey it is most often encountered in late spring and early summer, when back-bay water warms toward the low 80s°F.

If you are stung

If you are stung, get out of the water and seek medical care. Reactions to a clinging jellyfish sting can be more severe than a common sea-nettle sting.

For treatment guidance call the NJ Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222, or seek emergency care for severe symptoms.

NJ Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222