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[00:01.00]Large numbers of huge Australian jellyfish have been found in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico near the southern United States.
[00:11.71]Scientists want to know more about them and what long-term effects their presence may have.
[00:19.88]A jellyfish is an unusual sea creature.It is not a fish.
[00:26.05]It does not have a backbone.It has a soft body shaped like a bell.
[00:32.26]And it has long string-like structures called tentacles.
[00:38.38]There are more than two-hundred different kinds of jellyfish in all of the world's oceans.The come in all shapes and sizes.
[00:49.53]Jellyfish are often a problem for people swimming at the beach because some of them can sting.
[00:57.71]Some jellyfish stings can be very painful.But most jellyfish are harmless to humans.
[01:05.88]Tens of thousands of spotted Australian jellyfish have washed up on beaches off the southern coasts of Alabama,Florida,Louisiana and Mississippi.
[01:20.07]Observers say they can easily be seen from the air.
[01:25.24]Scientists say the jellyfish have grown two times their normal size.
[01:31.51]They are more than one-half meter across and weigh,at least eleven kilograms.
[01:38.54]The huge creatures are causing problems for people living near coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
[01:46.82]Swimmers are avoiding the beaches.And the jellyfish are getting caught in fishing nets and in boat engines.
[01:56.98]Scientists say the jellyfish may have a serious effect on the environmental system in the Gulf of Mexico.
[02:06.12]Scientists fear the jellyfish are eating the eggs and young creatures of the area's fish,shrimp and crabs.
[02:16.31]They say this may harm the valuable fishing industry in the area.
[02:22.48]Spotted jellyfish are native to Australia.
[02:26.63]They have been moving to the Caribbean Sea for twenty years.
[02:31.88]But this is the first time they have been seen so far north.
[02:37.00]They invaded the Gulf of Mexico in early June.
[02:42.17]Experts believe the jellyfish were caught in unusual waves that moved them north to the Gulf of Mexico.
[02:51.31]Scientists in Mississippi and Alabama are doing research to find out more about the invaders and how much they eat.
[03:02.47]They hope that increased rainfall or cold weather will kill or control the jellyfish.
[03:09.70]Scientists do not know if the jellyfish will survive the winter.
[03:15.87]If they do,their effect on the environment of the Gulf of Mexico could be an even bigger problem next year.
