An influx of jellyfish in coastal waters off Penghu County and the discovery of a large number of unidentified red ants on the nation’s beaches has prompted researchers to say the phenomena might cause an ecological crisis.
A massive amount of box jellyfish was discovered near the sea cucumber conservation area around Wukan Fishing Harbor (烏崁漁港), while an unknown ant species was found in tidal areas in Husi Township (湖西).
National Penghu University of Science and Technology professor of marine biology Huang Yu-sheng (黃俞升) found more than 100 box jellyfish near the harbor while conducting marine resource research with marine biologist Chen Chin-chuan (陳盡川), former director of the Penghu Zooxanthellae Association.
“The jellyfish were motionless underwater, but rose to the surface when we dived into the water, which poses a danger to unsuspecting divers,” Huang said.
The box jellyfish bloom might lead to another marine ecological disaster following an influx of crown-of-thorns sea stars in waters off the southern islands of Penghu since 2010, which greatly damaged coral reefs, he said.
Box jellyfish, also known as sea wasps, produce potent venom and have dozens of tentacles, Huang said.
There are dozens of box jellyfish species, with the most deadly being Chironex fleckeri, whose venom can kill an adult human in three minutes. That species is mostly found in northern Australian waters.
The jellyfish species found in Penghu is much less poisonous. Its sting could cause severe pain, so it is recommended that divers and swimmers avoid the area, Huang said, adding that the cause of the jellyfish bloom is unknown.
Meanwhile, a large number of red ants were found on beaches near a wind farm in Husi, Marine biologist Hung Kuo-hsiung (洪國雄) said.
Waves did not affect the species’ activity, which is contrary to common understanding of ant behavior.
If ants are found on the beach, they are most likely building nests on floating wood, but ants have never been observed at the tideline, Hung said.
The ants might be foraging garbage for food on the beach, but further investigation is needed to determine the species, Hung said.
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