Overview

• A 5-foot-wide lion’s mane jellyfish washed ashore at Willard Beach in South Portland, marking one of the largest specimens seen in the region.
• City of South Portland officials advised swimmers to observe the creature from a distance and notify lifeguards to return stranded jellyfish to the water with a shovel.
• This year has seen an unusual surge of lion’s mane sightings along the Maine coast, with reports of both higher numbers and larger sizes than typical.
• Ipswich Police Department in Massachusetts issued beach warnings after multiple reports of the species in local waters.
• Experts say the cold Gulf of Maine waters allow lion’s mane jellyfish to grow larger and warn that their hundreds of tentacles can deliver a potent, hours-long sting.