What are these in the water?

[jlyle]

Phyllorhiza punctata, an occasional visitor to our shores.

 

[archman]

Phyllorhiza punctata, an occasional visitor to our shores.

AAAAA!!! It's that nasty Australian spotted jelly that invaded the Gulf of Mexico four years ago!! Another friggin' exotic! I hate these things almost as much as Lionfish!

On a less paranoid note, now I can see where the confusion about the "second basketball-sized mass" originates. Those are the gastric tentacles, termed gastrozooids. When the longer trailing capture tentacles grab food, they're brought up to these babies for external digestion. Gastrozooids are typically far shorter and more "fluffy" than capture tentacles (dactylozooids), and often overlooked as tentacles at all.

 

[Christina21]

Why is it that in all other pix I have seen now of the Phyllorhiza punctata they are white? Is it cruel to kill a jellyfish? Do they have feelings? Should they be killed if it is an invasion? Thanks to all who replied

PS Are they dangerous? Does their sting hurt? Thanks again...