Data shows Lion's Mane Jellyfish outnumber cuckoos on Ireland's west coast
More Lion's Mane Jellyfish than cuckoos have been recorded on the west coast of Ireland this year.
The large and sometimes dangerous species of jellyfish are usually confined to the east coast, typically in waters close to Dublin.
But figures from the National Biodiversity Data centre show that there have been 157 recorded sightings of Lion's Mane jellyfish this year in Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare and Kerry.
This compares to just 122 recorded sightings of cuckoos.
Experts say it could represent a seismic shift in our natural environment.
According to jellyfish expert, Damien Haberlin of the Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy at University College Cork, marine scientists are at a loss to explain why this is happening.
He told the Irish Examiner: "In fact, up to about two years ago, we would have told people that you don’t get lion’s mane on the west coast. But this year that sort of thinking has been proven totally wrong.
“We have been getting reports of lion’s mane from all over the country. Up to now, the thinking was that lion’s mane were pretty much restricted to the Irish Sea and you’d hardly get any of them below Dublin.
“This year has blown that out of the water. We just don’t know what’s going to happen. Maybe next year it will go back to a more normal distribution."
