The mystery of Padre Island National Seashore has been cleared up. Beach goers were grossed out to see an ugly, formless, jelly-like blob with white polka dots washed up on shore.
Now, the experts have weighed in saying it's an Australian Spotted Jellyfish. But what was it doing on a Texas beach?
As its name suggests, it is native to the western Pacific and is common off the coast of Australia. Marine biologists say their venom is fairly weak and they're not hazardous to people. Nevertheless, they're not welcome in Texas waters because they consume huge quantities of food that our native species need to survive.
How it got here is hard to say. Some think these creatures stow away in the bottom of ocean going vessels and get discharged into the Gulf.
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