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Giant sea jellyfish floats in

Photo courtesy of John Hoover, Waikiki Aquarium
This giant sea jellyfish, nearly 24 inches in diameter, was found in
Kaneohe Bay. For scale, note the person at left. After staff at the
Waikiki Aquarium took pictures, it was put back in the bay.

Biologists find
giant jellyfish in
Kaneohe Bay
shallows

The staff of the Waikiki Aquarium
photograph, and then release it

---

By Treena Shapiro
Star-Bulletin

A giant jellyfish found in Kaneohe Bay last week is the largest the director of the Waikiki Aquarium has ever seen in tropical waters.

The translucent purple-and-white jellyfish -- referred to by biologists as sea jellies because they aren't fish and are related to coral and sea anemones -- measures more than two feet in diameter, with tentacles dangling about as long.

Bruce Carlson said the giant jellyfish has been tentatively identified as Anomalorhiza shawi.

"They're not seen very often. Every couple years someone might see one," he said, stressing the might. "Maybe there's not very many of them."

Carlson said this type of jellyfish has a mild sting, similar to a mosquito bite, but suggested that anyone encountering one exercise caution, since some people have a sensitivity to stings.

The jellyfish was found washed into shallow waters near the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology on Coconut Island.

"It was in good condition," Carlson said, but had been scraped against coral and rocks as it was washed into shallow water.

The biologists who discovered the giant jellyfish notified the aquarium to see if it could be displayed, and the delicate creature was transported to the aquarium in a large plastic bag. "You can't take them out of the water or they'll fall apart," Carlson said. "It would be like handling jello. They're 99 percent water."

However, although the aquarium has smaller moon and lagoon sea jellies on display, this one was too large for the exhibit tanks.

Aquarium staff kept the jellyfish for a week to take video and still photographs of it, but it was released back into Kaneohe Bay after it was documented.

Although there are larger jellyfish in other parts of the ocean, Carlson said this is the first time he's seen one of these jellyfish in tropical waters.