Thousands of rare purple jellyfish called Mauve Stingers wash up on British beach

Dramatic video (click to play above) shows pools of water that appear purple and ‘like jellyfish soup’ after the invasion of 'Mauve Stingers' on a UK beach. The purple jellyfish are only small - but capable of a powerful sting and glow brightly at night if disturbed.

The jellyfish were spotted washed up at Porth Hellick on St Mary's on the Isles Of Scilly, and are uncommon close to UK shores. They may be found offshore and in warmer European waters such as the Mediterranean, particularly from July to October.

Purple jellyfish in bulk are not common

Footage was shared by The BareFoot Photographer, Nikki Banfield, 43. She said: "We get Mauve Stingers fairly regularly in Scilly - but in bulk like this, hundreds of thousands, is not common. They are really cool but it is also a really sad sight because they are washing up on shore and dying.

Due to the volume of jellies stranding, they don't appear to be drying out as quickly, and many of the masses are still moving as a result."

Sea looks like ‘jellyfish soup’

Nikki, who adopted her name BareFoot photographer due to venturing without shoes, explains how on average the jellyfish were around six to seven centimetres in diameter - with thousands of smaller ones washed up amidst the seaweed and sand.

She said: "Many sea swimmers, who say the ocean nearby looks like 'jellyfish soup' underneath, explain how often the smaller the jelly the bigger the sting. These jellyfish have stinging cells on their cells and tentacles, whereas many just sting via their tentacles - so it is quite interesting.

The sightings can be reported to Cornwall Wildlife Trust's 'Marine Strandings Network', which monitors and records dead marine wildlife strandings. Nikki, who has lived in Scilly all her life, added: "Jellys capture peoples imagination. It's important to do our bit to help wildlife."