A new invasive marine creature that stings its prey is turning up along New Jersey’s coastline. A college student and his professor are responsible for a scientific first after their discovery. NBC10 Jersey Shore Bureau reporter Ted Greenberg explains.
Invasive sea creatures are turning up along the Jersey Shore and were discovered by a college student and his professor.
The marine creatures are called beadlet anemones and are known to sting their prey.
They first caught Diederik Boonman's eye during a class assignment exploration that brought him to a beach along New Jersey's coast.
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“I saw these blobby things in the rocks, and I was confused by them," Boonman said. “For me, finding something like this was just very big.”
After first finding the creatures in 2023, the Monmouth University senior and his marine science professor Jason Adolf were able to determine that they didn't belong in the crevices of the rock jetty in Deal, or anywhere else along the Jersey Shore.
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“I was very surprised to find them," Professor Adolf said.
Beadlet anemones are more commonly found on the rocky shores of the British Isles and Northern Europe.
DNA testing and consultations with experts in the United States and overseas confirmed the beadlet anemones are a new invasive species.
A just-published student co-authored by Boonman and Adolf is the first scientific observation and documentation of the beadlet anemones on North American shores.
They say the creatures probably came to these waters after some hitched a ride on a ship across the Atlantic.
So far, they've turned up in Monmouth and Ocean counties from Sandy Hook all the way down to Island Beach State Park.
"I think it's possible or likely that they will invade further south and possibly even north," Boonman told NBC10.
These creatures are related to jellyfish. They have stinging tentacles and release toxins to stun their prey, but researchers say they can't penetrate human skin.
Unless you’re climbing around in the rocks, which can be very dangerous, experts say these creatures will likely have no impact on your next trip to the beach.
It is not yet known if beadlet anemones pose any threats to native marine life.
