Scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) are working to classify a mysterious new species of giant jellyfish after a specimen washed up on a beach in southern Tasmania, Australia.
The 1.5m diameter jellyfish was discovered by twelve-year-old Xavier Lim and his family as they walked along on a beach at Howden last month.
The species appears to be new to science, although there have been a number of sightings of similar creatures in the waters in the area in the past.
CSIRO scientist Lisa-ann Gershwin told ABC Local Radio while the species has been seen before, it is technically unclassified and new to science.
Dr Gershwin, who says she has chosen a name for the species and working on getting it classified, spoke to ABC’s Ryk Goddard on local radio, saying:
“It’s one of these things that really makes us come face-to-face with the fact that there are things we don’t know about out there in nature, particularly in the ocean.”
