# Id this sea jelly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 19, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-sea-jelly/658748 "2013-05-19T18:44:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-sea-jelly/658748/1 "2013-05-19T18:44:39Z")
Southeastern North Carolina on a barrier island. [Pic](http://s294.photobucket.com/user/badger60/media/obppic5_zpsb6d982a3.jpg.html?sort=6&o=0#/user/badger60/media/obppic5_zpsb6d982a3.jpg.html?sort=6&o=0&_suid=1368988954653029111909922202683) ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-sea-jelly/658748/2 "2013-05-19T20:46:48Z")
His name is Larry. Now go watch TV and stop asking us so many questions! ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-sea-jelly/658748/3 "2013-05-20T03:21:33Z")
I also found this mysterious, colourless jelly with rounded edges by the sea: [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aBV7yZv6EJk/TQ6pUrMygSI/AAAAAAAAuas/vP7lxEsFm6k/s1600/DSC\_4012.JPG](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aBV7yZv6EJk/TQ6pUrMygSI/AAAAAAAAuas/vP7lxEsFm6k/s1600/DSC_4012.JPG) And I’m wondering what it is. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-sea-jelly/658748/4 "2013-05-20T03:39:22Z")
Baby shoggoth. ---
**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-sea-jelly/658748/5 "2013-05-20T05:15:15Z")
To the OP: [Probably this guy.](http://www.usm.edu/news/article/purple-striped-jellies-abundant-near-barrier-islands) To AaronX, that looks like a part of a jelly fish. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-sea-jelly/658748/6 "2013-05-20T05:26:15Z")
AaronX, yours could be [the egg sac](http://www.ncmg.org.au/Story32.html) of a sand snail. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-sea-jelly/658748/7 "2013-05-20T06:52:53Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > AaronX, yours could be [the egg sac](http://www.ncmg.org.au/Story32.html) of a sand snail. Ah, that looks exactly like what I saw! I thought the dots inside were bubbles. But isn’t that egg sac as big as the snail itself? ---
**Author:** ![Otara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Otara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otara)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-sea-jelly/658748/8 "2013-05-20T06:59:35Z")
[http://jellyfish.appstate.edu/](http://jellyfish.appstate.edu/) I’d say the third one, ie Stomolophus meleagris Otara ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-sea-jelly/658748/9 "2013-05-20T07:31:37Z")
> [@electronbee](#): > > To the OP: [Probably this guy.](http://www.usm.edu/news/article/purple-striped-jellies-abundant-near-barrier-islands). That article says “purple striped jelly” which I know is mostly a west coast thing, _Chrysaora colorata_. Wikipedia says that one (more accurate) is sometimes called a “mauve stinger,” but no US name is given. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-sea-jelly/658748/10 "2013-05-20T10:19:08Z")
> [@Otara](#): > > [http://jellyfish.appstate.edu/](http://jellyfish.appstate.edu/) > > I’d say the third one, ie > > Stomolophus meleagris > > Otara Close enough for me. Thanks. > [@ducati](#): > > His name is Larry. Maybe, but someone else told me it was Irving. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-sea-jelly/658748/11 "2013-05-20T12:41:30Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Southeastern North Carolina on a barrier island. [Pic](http://s294.photobucket.com/user/badger60/media/obppic5_zpsb6d982a3.jpg.html?sort=6&o=0#/user/badger60/media/obppic5_zpsb6d982a3.jpg.html?sort=6&o=0&_suid=1368988954653029111909922202683) The photo won’t load. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-sea-jelly/658748/12 "2013-05-20T13:00:49Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Ah, that looks exactly like what I saw! I thought the dots inside were bubbles. But isn’t that egg sac as big as the snail itself? Perhaps - but bear in mind, it’s mostly water - the snail only needs to secrete the protein/saccharide matrix of the jelly, and the environment provides the hydration to pump it up to that size. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-sea-jelly/658748/13 "2013-05-20T13:14:36Z")
Yeah, I figured that’s the only way they could manage it. I wonder how they prevent it from dispersing? Is there a “skin”? [http://www.southernshores.auz.info/beachcombing/archives/nov.htm](http://www.southernshores.auz.info/beachcombing/archives/nov.htm) has pictures that look the same, and the description matches mine - November, in Victoria, Australia.