The purple jellyfish are saying “goodbye” to us – The salufes are coming

Yesterday, Wednesday, August 11, 2022, at the bridge of Chalkida, an endless “army” of jellyfish was crossing the strait, moving from the North Euboean to the South Euboean, driven by the tide. This time it’s not about the purple jellyfish but about the brown ones, also known as saloufs or “fried egg”. Their scientific name is “Cotylorhiza tuberculata”.

Brown jellyfish are harmless, however they can cause allergies in sensitive organisms. However, it is worth noting that anyone who is not afraid can fearlessly swim next to them and even touch them without getting hurt.

The main characteristics of the brown jellyfish

Brown jellyfish or salufes (Mediterranean Jelly-Fried Egg Jellyfish) are a large group of zooplankton organisms that exist in all seas and live at all depths. Jellyfish are marine invertebrates (cnidzoa) of the order Scyphozoa. They have radial symmetry and a diameter of about 40 cm. Its “umbrella” is flat, except in the center, where a brown egg-like formation protrudes. Each tentacle is covered with cells, called cnidocytes. These cells are also present in their mouth.

Their behavior

Most jellyfish use these cells to secure food and for defense. Others have no tentacles at all. They have many small eyes on their bell-shaped body, which allows them to have 360-degree vision. They swim very slowly, as they do not have a hydrodynamic body. That’s why they move in a special way to create currents, forcing their prey to reach their tentacles. This movement is done rhythmically by opening and closing their bell-like body.

Their behavior towards humans

Brown jellyfish are completely harmless. In fact, you can safely swim next to them. You can even touch them without getting hurt. The reasons why we should not bring brown jellyfish to the shore are very important and worth paying attention to:

• The main reason is that they act as a filter and maintain the food chain at the bottom. They clean the plankton and offer protection to the fish spawn.
• If we take the jellyfish out on the beach, they start to smell bad after a while because of the heat. So, it’s another source of contamination that no one is going to sit down to clean.
• Jellyfish eat small fish and zooplankton, but they are also food for other marine species. Nevertheless when they have fulfilled the purpose for which they were brought to the coast they will remain for a few days and then be carried away by the currents away from the beaches.

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