Its residents witnessed an unprecedented spectacle yesterday Chalkiswhen an army of jellyfish crossed the Strait of Euripus. Those who were lucky enough to cross the bridge of Chalkis could see the jellyfish “dancing” along the channel and being carried away by the tide. “We are not surprised by the spectacle” Mr. Christos Taqlis explains “K”., marine biologist and administrator of the Hellenic Biodiversity Observatory. “It’s about her Mediterranean jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata)which is in full swing every year at this time, from the end of July, that is, until the end of September.

This special type of jellyfish, known as “fried eggs” or “saluf”, is completely harmless, its sting has almost no effect on the human body. “Salufah” may have attracted attention yesterday, but it can often be found in Mediterranean Seain the Aegean seabut also in Adriatic Sea.

“The Mediterranean jellyfish is always found in clear waters and feeds on plankton, offering shelter to small fish nesting in its tentacles,” Mr. Taqlis describes. “Its appearance now in Chalkis is not at all related to the appearance of the purple jellyfish in the last period,” he emphasizes, predicting that “shoals” of Mediterranean jellyfish can be seen in other parts of Greece in the coming weeks.

Yesterday, many jellyfish crossed the Chalkis Bridge – harmless species at this time are becoming more and more every year.

However, the good thing is that the number of purple jellyfish has been significantly reduced. “Especially in the Aegean, there are very few records, I believe that this phenomenon will be eliminated next summer,” he notes. In addition, these phenomena usually last two to three years. “We don’t have a very good picture of the Ionian Sea, where the course of a jellyfish depends on many components,” he adds.

“The purple jellyfish first appeared in the winter of 2020 in Spain, and the following winter it moved to Italy and Malta, and then arrived in the Ionian Islands,” recalls Mr Taclis. “One unsettled factor is always the Adriatic, the other is African countries where records are not kept.”