Kentucky is home to jellyfish, and you may find them in the water with you.

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Kentucky Jellyfish

Typically when you think of jellyfish you picture the ocean.  At least for me, that's what I think of.  I didn't know there was a such thing as freshwater jellyfish, and it turns out you don't have to travel too far to see them, as they thrive in Kentucky.

WAVE3 recently reported that jellyfish were found in the Shawnee Park Lilly Pond.  They say hundreds of these jellyfish were discovered last August, and are thriving in the local pond.  They spoke with local officials, who said this particular type of jellyfish are actually native to China but have made their way to the United States.

Here is a screengrab from the video you can watch below that shows what these jellyfish look like:

Jellyfish Aren't New to the Bluegrass State

While this information certainly was new to me, it turns out jellyfish being spotted throughout different water sources in Kentucky isn't new.  I found a post from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife from 2020 that says:

JELLYFISH in KY! YES, freshwater jellyfish are sometimes seen in the calmer waters of Kentucky's lakes, ponds, and rivers.

They are observed most often in late summer and early fall, floating just below the water’s surface. Though their tentacles have the same ‘stinging cells’ as saltwater jellyfish, they cause little harm as they don’t penetrate human skin!

While our team isn't currently studying freshwater jellyfish, the Center for Mollusk Conservation has a project underway investigating the impact of introduced Asian clams on native mussels.

Kentucky is full of WILDlife that needs YOUR SUPPORT! Join Kentucky Wild today to see how you can make an impact: fw.ky.gov/kywild