120 Feet Long: World’s Largest Jellyfish Spotted in Massachusetts Bay

Remember when the world's largest jellyfish was found in Massachusetts?

No?

That's because it washed ashore on Massachusetts Bay in 1870, according to this article.

Massachusetts has a lot of accolades associated it, but one may be near-impossible to take away: the world's longest animal.

According to the article, the lion's mane jellyfish that washed ashore in Massachusetts over 150 years ago had a bell diameter of seven feet and six inches. That is enormous, but not record-breaking.

What is record-breaking is that its tentacles measured a length of 120 feet, making it the longest animal in the world, according to the article.

Typically not interacting with humans, the lion's mane jellyfish catches its prey in the most obvious way: shocking small fish with their long and powerful tentacles. The majority of lion's mane jellyfish live where waters are cool, near the Arctic and North Pacific Ocean (between Alaska and Washington).

"The tentacles are glutinous and are found in eight bunches," according to the article. "Each bunch has more than 100 tentacles arranged in rows."

Quick math: eight bunches with 100 tentacles per bunch. That is 800 tentacles of scariness for me.

As gnarly and prehistoric as these animals seem, they are not going anywhere anytime soon. Interestingly, some research supports that jellyfish actually thrive in areas that are affected by human activity, according to an Oceana article.

"Overfishing, climate change, and pollution have helped promote more frequent jellyfish swarms while reducing the jellies’ main predators and competitors and increasing their prey," according to an Oceana article. "These factors have created a favorable environment for this species, and few threats are known to the lion’s main jellyfish or other jellies."

The likeliness of running into one of these are very slim. However, like in 1870, one could wash up to shore.

Or, one could be swimming in the dark, cool depths just below your feet.