What has been on this earth for over 650 million years, is made up of 95% water, has no heart, no bones, no eyes and no brain? (We are still off the mother in law jokes), But they abound in their millions and have a nasty sting in the tail. We know them commonly as Jellyfish, but these semi-transparent creatures we encounter are called Medusa's, because they resemble the mythical Greek Gorgon Medusa with the head of writhing snakes.

Here in Andalucia we have the “Sea Nettle” or “Mauve Stinger” (Pelagia Noctiluca)(in Spanish, “medusa luminiscente”) also this year we have had large numbers of a particularly nasty specimen called a Compass jellyfish (Crysaora hysoscella). It looks more like a space ship with a ring of brown nodules on a white disk. They can produce very painful and long lasting weals.

Each tentacle of a medusa has thousands of tiny stinging cells which when touched; eject tiny tube like darts, which contain a poison. This is to kill or paralyse food or for its own protection. The best treatment for these stings is to wash the area with liberal amounts of vinegar.

Jellyfish serve a purpose, they are a source of food to turtles (who die because they eat plastic bags they have mistaken for food) and in the orient they are dried and de-salted and considered a delicacy (that is apparently, if you like eating rubber bands)

The jellyfish have as much right to be in the ocean as we have, and it would be useful to remember that taking them out of the water in nets and leaving them on the shore to die is not an answer to the problem. What's more they can still sting you if you walk on them for some considerable time after removal from the water. “That's the Sting in the Tail”

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