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Sharks Close Down Cali Beaches, But Not On Porpoise

For those planning to splish splash with their flippy floppies this weekend in Santa Cruz, the plans have changed. Apparently Shark Week just doesn't want to end, but instead of it being in high definition, it’s being played out for real off the coast of the Golden State.

This week, a hungry shark proceeded to nom nom nom on a porpoise. The poor porpoise washed ashore, and researchers are trying to figure out what kind of finned critter exactly was responsible for the attack. Obviously with beach visitors spotting sharks off shore, people are being kept out of the water.

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Tags: Jellyfish-Invasion-Map / Killer Beaches / When Animals Attack / Animals / Japan Travel / → All Tags

Giant Jellyfish Are Totally Crashing Sea of Japan's Party

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water ... giant jellyfish! Actually, to be more specific, they're named "Nomura's jellyfish" and this season, ocean currents are pushing them from Chinese waters into the Sea of Japan, where they prove fatal for expensive fishing nets.

Although the creatures can be up to 6' long and weigh up to 450 pounds (of jelly?), they aren't the malicious, stinging sort. No, they're simply the ruining-a-Japanese-town's-livelihood sort, which is what occurs when the beasts rip through pricey nets and ruin major catches, sending villages that rely on the fishing trade into an economical depression.

Past invasions of the Nomura's jellyfish have occurred in 2005 and 2007, so it looks like it's becoming a regular thing, especially since researchers posit that "overfishing, pollution or rising ocean temperatures may have depleted the kinds of fish that prey on Nomura's jellyfish in the polyp stage." So, who wants to do some scuba diving in the Sea of Japan with us?

Related Stories:
· Japanese fishermen brace for giant jellyfish [CNN]
· Killer Beaches: Jellyfish Hung Out To Dry, For Now [Jaunted]
· Killer Beaches Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: AFP/Getty]

Tags: The Jauntys / 2008 Travel Awards / Killer Beaches / Jellyfish / → All Tags

2008's Best Map Mashup Is...

It's been a while since we so enjoyed rooting for the bad guys. While the 2008 International Plague of Jellyfish ultimately never delivered, we'll always have our Jellyfish Invasion Map as a souvenir of those heady summer days when we stared the beach-pocalypse in the face.

A spin off of our Killer Beach reports, the Jellyfish Invasion affected supermodels, surfers and adorable children alike. Lucky for us, it looks like 2009 will be even worse for jelly attacks worldwide. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...

Related Stories:
· Bar Refaeli Braves Killer Jellyfish in France [Jaunted]
· Man-Made Plague of Jellyfish to Terrorize Beaches for Years to Come [Jaunted]
· Kate Hudson Flees Killer Australian Jellyfish for NYC Clubs [Jaunted]

[Photo of jellies in the Monterey Aquarium: chuck12600]

Tags: Sharks / Killer Beaches / Killer Beaches 2008 / Dangerous Travel / Beaches / Australia Travel / → All Tags

Killer Beaches: Shark Takes Surfer for a Ride

Australian coastal paradise Byron Bay is not only home to Australia's sexiest beach: It's also home to clever sharks that are trying to tow humans out into shark-infested ocean.

Okay, it's not quite like that, but this week a surfer really did get taken for a ride by a shark at Byron Bay. Surf shop owner John Morgan was out on the water when a shark came by and got tangled in his leg rope, towing him at speed for 170 feet before suddenly getting free of the rope and taking off.

It's a happy ending story since Morgan came back all in one piece, but that shark will probably blog about its experience and suddenly sharks across the world will be towing surfers away for dinner. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Related Stories:
· Shark Tows Surfer [Ananova]
· Killer Beaches 2008: Australia's Latest Shark Attack [Jaunted]
· My Beach is Sexier Than Yours [Jaunted]

[Photo: pberry]

Tags: Jellyfish-Invasion-Map / Jellyfish / Killer Beaches / Dangerous Travel / Animals / When Animals Attack / → All Tags

Killer Beaches: Jellyfish Hung out to Dry... For Now!

The incidence of jellyfish events this past week has dropped ever so slightly, heightening our paranoia that the jellies are amassing before a final virulent strike in the last weeks of summer.

While there were no out-and-out invasions this week, two smaller incidents deserve note: A fisherman died of cardiac arrest after being stung in Barangay Tiling, Philippines while out swimming with his brother. And on Hilbre Island off the coast of England near Liverpool, a 12-year-old and a 10-year-old girl were rushed to the hospital after incidental stings when one of them went into anaphylactic shock.

But! Just weeks after suffering more than 60 jellyfish stings, a Canadian long-distance swimmer is back in the water to swim the distance from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick today. The seriously brave lady, Jen Alexander, is completing the 22-hour swim to raise awareness for type 1 diabetes, which she has had for 20 years--she'll even test her blood sugar en route. Go, Jen, go! Before they strike again!

Our Jellyfish Invasion Map helps you track this summer's trendiest menace.

Related Stories:
· Jellyfish stings girls near Hilbre Island [Wirral Globe]
· Fisherman Dies from Jellyfish Sting [Inquirer]
· Marathon swimmer makes second attempt [Metronews.ca]
· Jellyfish Panic Continues Worldwide! [Jaunted]
· Bikini Travel: Bar Refaeli Braves Killer Jellyfish in France [Jaunted]

[Photo: marialynn]

Tags: Jellyfish-Invasion-Map / Jellyfish / Killer Beaches / Dangerous Travel / Animals / When Animals Attack / → All Tags

Killer Beaches: Jellyfish Panic Continues Worldwide!

Our fear of killer jellyfish has not abated since last week! The New York Times even got in on the trend with a Spanish scientist suggesting jellies are trying to send us the message "Look how badly you are treating me," making them sound like a M. Night Shyamalan menace.

After the jump, this week's updates on the insidious spread of what David Beard of the Boston Globe called "the cockroach of the ocean."

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Tags: Dangerous Travel / Beaches / Killer Beaches / Jellyfish / Animals / When Animals Attack / → All Tags

Global Beach Panic: Jellyfish Will Kill Us All!

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, a new marine threat has surfaced to rival sharks as the most dangerous to waterborne humans: Beaches around the world have seen an uptick in jellyfish attacks, with swarms of the gelatinous creatures swamping swimmers from Tampa to Thailand.

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