FRANKFORT, Ky. — Did you know that you don’t have to go to the beach to see jellyfish? According to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFW), freshwater jellyfish can be found right here in the Bluegrass State!
In a Facebook post, the department said you can find these jellyfish during the late summer and early autumn months in calmer waters like lakes, ponds rivers.
If you come across one of these creatures, you don’t have to worry about getting hurt. According to the KDFW, the cells in the tentacles of freshwater jellyfish don’t penetrate human skin, so their stings don’t hurt as much as the ones from saltwater jellyfish.
Hundreds of people commented on the Facebook post, sharing their own experiences with jellyfish in Kentucky and Indiana. According to the comments, these jellyfish have been spotted in Owensboro, Erlanger and Utica. Many people also said that their friends and family members were skeptical of their jellyfish sightings.
“I said … there were jellyfish in Deams Lake in Indiana and no one believed me,” one person said.
“I know a couple ponds loaded with them,” another person commented. “I thought I was going crazy the first time spotting them.”
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), freshwater jellyfish can have anywhere from 50 to 500 tentacles and were first observed in Kentucky in 1916. So far, this species has been documented in 44 states and the District of Columbia.
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