Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Phosphorescent Jellyfish

A flotilla (a fleet? a swim?) of jellyfish washed up on the beach last night. They are perfectly translucent hemispheres - almost clear enough to act as magnifiers - as if water had a fourth state of matter: solid, liquid, gas, and suspended as jellyfish.
            Dad and I went walking on the beach at dusk and found that if you press along their edges, a ring of green phosphorescence lights up. Very beautiful.

Also, if you step directly on their centers, the resulting gooey mess tends to squirt all the way up your leg. Phosphorescent squelch.

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