SAJellyWatch aims to provide YOU with information about local jellyfish in, hopefully, an interactive way. We provide you with pictures and keys that allow you to identify the animals we think you are likely to see in the region, and we ask you to provide us with information about whether you have seen them. If you think you know what you have seen you can simply tell us where and when you saw it in a simple form. If you upload photos of the animals you have seen, even if you think you know what they are, then we will validate the identities. And if you don’t know what you have seen, we will identify the species for you. All sightings will be posted onto maps, which is dynamic and constantly being updated with new observations.
How can you help?
Simply by taking a picture when encountering a jellyfish (dead or alive we accept all images) and sending it to us/ posting it on the website along with the date and location and any additional information which may assist in identification. We encourage you to try and identify the jellyfish as best as possible using the identification key provided on the site. You can also use the key to compare observations which you have made.
Our new website hosts a variety of new features, these features include:
Gallery
Jellyfish are not always easy to identify, some species look different at different life stages (juveniles versus adults), some look different depending on the environments they occur in, and almost all look different dead than they do alive. This is why we have a gallery with all the images that have been sent to us and more. Check out the gallery and have a go at identifying the jellyfish you have spotted.
Species pages (common jellyfish around South Africa)
Here you will find all the information about the common jellyfish species found in South Africa, which species you are most likely to encounter and how dangerous they may be. Use the maps link for a more in depth look at the distributions.
Identification key
There are many features to look out for when trying to identify jellyfish. This can get tricky when using the species pages. A new, updated key has been created to help navigate through the different features used to identify jellyfish.
Dynamic home page
We at SAJellyWatch know how tricky it is to correctly identify jellyfish, especially to a species level. But we would really like you to try and if you are correct, your jellyfish image along with your name and correct identification will be displayed on your home page.