A holidaymaker was left gobsmacked' when he found a huge jellyfish bigger than a car tyre while going for a stroll. Tate Tremayne, 23, was in Portpatrick, Scotland for the May Bank Holiday weekend to see his in-laws when he spotted the massive creatures on the shore.
He and his partner found four jellyfish bigger than any they'd known existed as they walked along the beach. "I was gobsmacked at the size of it when I first saw the jellyfish, I didn’t believe we had ones that big in our waters," Tate told YorkshireLive.
According to the Wildlife Trusts, the Barrel jellyfish is the largest that can be found in UK waters. They can grow up to the size of dustbin lids and are likely to wash up on beaches in May and June as they prefer warmer water.
Huddersfield bartender Tate took pictures of the huge jellyfish, showing one in the water and a couple beached on the sand. He said: "I wasn’t as scared as I would’ve been if I was in the water, I was lucky enough to just be taking a stroll with my partner when we found the four of them.
"Didn’t touch them as I wasn’t sure if it would sting me or not. It was definitely bigger than a car tyre and that was just the top of it."
Anyone who finds Barrel jellyfish is advised not to handle them as they can still sting while dead. However, their sting is not usually hugely harmful to humans.
