“Extinguished” tourist jellyfish not seen in 50 years

Medusa lovers rejoice: DEPASTRUM CYATHIFFOR– A wrinkled in the shape of a wrinkled barrel with tiny tentacles for the hair – cannot be extinguished, despite being MIA for almost 50 years. We can thank the tourist Neil Roberts, who accidentally met the jelly while she was on vacation in the south of the Uist in Scotland.

This special hunter jellyfish was highly appreciated during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, appearing in exquisite details in illustrations of famous naturalists. Historical recordings suggested that jelly had always been rare, but after a last meeting in France in 1976, D. Cyathiform Avanded the vigilant eyes of researchers and the pleasure of relaxed jelly. In other words, until June 2023, when Roberts visited South Uist for a holiday.

“With a certain apprehension, I put my camera newly bought underwater and I took some photos”, ” tell Roberts to the writer of British fauna Guy Freeman. When Roberts returned from vacation, he realized that the creature of his photos looked closely at the pen and the watercolors of D. Cyathiform. A more in -depth confirmation of the experts revealed that indeed Roberts had rediscovered a creature considered to be extinct for almost 50 years.

“When Neil shared the photos for the first time, it was like seeing a ghost,” said Freeman The guardian. After seeing the photos of Roberts, Freeman conducted a follow -up search for D. CyathiformHoping that the fortuitous meeting was not only once but a real sign that the Scottish island welcomed a stable population of these jellyfish lost for a long time. To his great joy, the answer seemed to be yes.

“You cannot keep something if you do not know where it is, or even if it still exists, Freedman wrote in his test on rediscovery. He explained that the particular habitat that his team revealed” does not seem to be remarkable in any way – there must be countless similar banks “in the neighborhood that could shelter even more D. Cyathiform“Although we should not take this for granted … until more records emerge.”

“It is really a remarkable discovery, and I was so happy to learn it,” an expert in Smithsonian Institute told The Guardian Allen Collins. “We can now be sure that this rarely encountered species persists. I hope that more individuals will soon be found. ”

According to Freeman, summer is the best time to meet D. CyathiformAnd they can generally be found on the underside of rocks or on rocks in shaded ravines in swimming pools. Obviously, it is not an invitation to collect each rock in front of you in a Scottish beach. But continuous attention to presence – and health! – The very well sold return of the Jellies should help not to lose them again.