CENTRAL MAINE • January 24, 2024
In the Gulf of Maine, two species of jellyfish are seen most commonly. The moon jellies look round from the top and are generally a foot or so in diameter. Lined around the edge of their bells are short, fine tentacles they use to catch food. They sting, but normally it’s practically unnoticeable to humans. The lion’s mane jellyfish is generally larger — 5 and 6 feet in diameter. Dangling underneath are up to a thousand tentacles. The sting is reportedly extremely painful for humans. A well-known — if less often seen — jellyfish in the Gulf of Maine is the Portuguese man-of-war, which also can inflict dangerous stings. Dr. Nick Record, a senior research scientist with the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay, likened jellyfish to space aliens in a magazine article a few years ago. There is more in heaven and on Earth — and in the sea — than is dreamt of in our philosophy. ~ Dana Wilde