Giant bluebottles three times normal size washing up on Gold Coast
Giant bluebottles three times normal size are washing ashore on the Gold Coast.
Bluebottles up to three times the usual size are washing ashore on Gold Coast beaches. Lifeguards reported only 20 stings across 39 patrolled beaches during school holidays.
The species, Physalia megalista, is one of five bluebottle types found in Australian waters and is rarely seen this far north. Physalia megalista normally stays further south.
The float or sail sitting on the water is about 10 centimetres long. The stinger can stretch several metres.
Griffith University marine ecologist Kylie Pitt said little data exists on when and where the species appears. No one knows how its venom compares to other bluebottles.
She said the reaction depends on the dose received. It also depends on how much tentacle attaches to skin.
Warmer El Niño conditions this season may be helping the larger stingers survive.
- up to three times larger
- Size compared to typical bluebottles
- Physalia megalista
- Species name
- several metres
- Stinger length
- 20 across 39 patrolled beaches
- School holiday stings
Why it mattersThe unexpected arrival of a large, poorly understood bluebottle species is a reminder to swimmers that ocean conditions are changing. Different stinger species carry unknown risks.
AustraliaGold Coast swimmers and residents should be aware of unusually large bluebottles washing ashore; though stings remain rare and not life-threatening, the species' venom is not yet well understood.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 1 h ago
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