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Rare Purple Jellyfish With Powerful Sting Found In Throngs At NJ Beaches

They might be pretty, but boy can they sting.

Mauve Stinger

Mauve Stinger

Photo Credit: Hans Hillewaert Wikipedia

A rare, purple jellyfish called "mauve stingers" who can sting without their tentacles, and powerfully, have been popping up along the Jersey Shore. Scientists warn there could be thousands of them.

Maggie McGuire told NJ.com that the water in Manasquan was swarming with the purple jellyfish. She posted photos of them to Facebook group New Jersey Jellyspotters.

"Very beautiful but they pack a good sting," commented Paul Bologna, the director of the Marine Biology and Coastal Sciences program at Montclair State University. 

Bologna tells NJ.com he's only seen about two mauve stingers in the last 15 years, but guesses there could be thousands of them in New Jersey waters currently.

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