Jersey Shore Invaded By Tiny Jellyfish-Like Creatures
WILDWOOD CREST, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – A mysterious sight on the Jersey Shore has beachgoers being told to watch where they walk.
A swarm of slimy creatures known as Salp have invaded the sand at Wildwood Crest.
The tiny jellyfish-like invaders are transparent and the size of a nickel. You may not even see them until it's too late.
"As I was running I had to slow down because they were slippery. I thought I was going to fall on them," beachgoer Erica Galada said.
"It's a natural thing and if you just leave it alone it will just break up and go back in the ocean," Chief Bud Johnson of the Wildwood Crest beach patrol said.
Marine biologists say Salps are usually far out at sea, but sometimes drift toward land because of warm water currents.
Luckily, they don't sting like jellyfish and can actually help swimmers by filtering out algae and other micro-organisms harmful to people.
