PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 25, 2025
Willard Beach received a special summer visitor over the weekend: a 5-foot-wide lion’s mane jellyfish that washed ashore at the popular South Portland destination. That jellyfish was one of an increasing number that Mainers have reported on or near the shore in recent weeks, prompting warnings of caution from officials and experts. There have been many other reports of jellyfish stinging humans or being spotted near land recently. So far this year the vast majority of sightings have been lion’s mane jellyfish, which is one of the largest species. Jellyfish aren’t new to Maine’s aquatic ecosystem, but their behaviors vary. Some years, there are none to be found, but in others — such as this year — they seem to appear everywhere.