Huge jellyfish spotted on North East beach by family out on dog walk

A mysterious jellyfish has been spotted on a North East beach by a family out walking their dog.
Picture: Carole Smith.Picture: Carole Smith.
Picture: Carole Smith.

Carole Smith visited the coast yesterday afternoon with partner Graham, son Joseph and pet pug Darlo when they spotted the creature on a rock, left exposed by the low tide.

Graham's children Liam and Naomi, and friend Leah were also at the beach exploring the sea creatures left behind as the tide went out.

Picture: Carole Smith.Picture: Carole Smith.
Picture: Carole Smith.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Carole, 54, said they went towards the creature thinking it was a rust-covered rock.

She added: "It turned out to be this jellyfish which looked a perfect specimen. As we wandered towards the grotto we came across several other small jellyfish, a small purple one and a small clear one with white colouring in it."

The find led Carole and her family to try and find out which type of jellyfish it is. The lion's mane jellyfish, commonly found in the English Channel, seemed to be one of the closest matches. This species is one of the largest, and colours range from vivid red and lighter orange to purple.

The creature was found just down from Camel Island in South Shields.

Picture: Carole Smith.Picture: Carole Smith.
Picture: Carole Smith.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Carole's family continued their jellyfish investigation when they got home - but the mum had a warning for other families heading to the coast this summer.

She added: "On a more serious note, I think parents should be aware of children exploring this type of thing, because of the dangers some species pose and also people walking dogs."

Mum Rachael Brown has also spotted a jellyfish during the summer holidays.

She was in Sunderland with daughter Tammie-Leigh, 7, her own mum Michelle, 49, and Marge the dog, 2, when Tammie-Leigh spotted a red-looking jellyfish at Sunderland Fish Quay, near to Sambuca.

Picture: Carole Smith.Picture: Carole Smith.
Picture: Carole Smith.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They caught the creature on camera at around lunchtime on Saturday.

*Do you recognise this type of jellyfish and have you spotted any on your local beach this summer? Contact us on social media to share your pictures.