Jellyfish enthusiasts are happy: Depastrum cyathiform“A furrowed, barrel shaped jelly with tiny tentacles for hair may not be extinct, despite being mine for almost 50 years.” We can thank tourist Neil Roberts, who accidentally found the jelly on vacation in southern Uist in Scotland.
This particular stolen jellyfish was much loved during the Victorian and Eduardment times, appearing in delicate detail in illustrations by famous naturalists. Historical records suggested that the jelly was always rare, but after one last encounter in France in 1976, D. Cyathiform disappeared from the careful eyes of researchers and casual twin enjoyers. That is, until June 2023, when Roberts visited a southern Uiston for holidays.
“With some tremor I put my newly purchased camera under the water and took some photos,” Told Roberts to British Wildlife Editor Guy Freeman. When Roberts returned from vacation, he realized that the critic in his photos closely resembles the feathered drawings and watercolors of D. Cyathiform. Further confirmation with experts revealed that indeed, Roberts rediscovered a being thought to be extinct for almost 50 years.
“When Neil first shared the photos, it was like seeing a ghost,” Freeman told the The guardian. Seeing Roberts’ photos, Freeman led a following search D. CyathiformHoping that the random encounter is not just a one -off but true sign that the Scottish island has hosted a stable population of these long -lost jellyfish. To his great joy, the answer seemed to be yes.
“You can’t keep anything, if you don’t know where it is, or even if it still exists, Freedman wrote in his essay on the rediscovery. He explained that the particular habitat his team discovered” nothing seems to be remarkable – there must be countless similar shores “in the neighborhood, which could live even more – there are innumerable shores” in the neighborhood. Even more coasts “in the neighborhood” in the neighborhood “in the neighborhood”. D. Cyathiform“Although we don’t have to give this for sure … until more records appear.”
“This is a really remarkable finding, and I was so happy to learn about it,” Allen Collins, an experienced jellyfish -an expert at the Smithsonian Institute, told The Guardian. “We can now be sure that this rarely encounters a species. I hope there will be more individuals soon.”
According to Freeman, summer is the best time to meet D. CyathiformAnd they can typically be found on the underside of rocks or on rocks in shady gulls in pools. Obviously, this is not an invitation to pick up every single rock in front of you at a Scottish beach. But lasting attention to the presence-and health!-From the gels of the gels a long-standing return must help make sure we will not lose them again.
