In what is being dubbed a "Jellyfish jamboree," thousands of cannonball jellyfish have washed up on the North Carolina coastline.
The park rangers took photos of the spectacle and shared them on the park service's Facebook page.
The large swarm washed up on the northern edge of Ocracoke Island, which is part of the Outer Banks. The red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), a species of saltwater fish that's currently in the midst of spawning season, is the preferred snack for the jellyfish.
Similar to actual cannonballs in both shape and size, the jellies weigh about 1 pound 450 grams on average and measure 10 inches in diameter, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
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Why didn't they wash up before?
Jellyfish rely on wind and currents to swim. The post said that cold water temperatures, winds and currents can all play a part in them washing up.
There are thousands of jellyfish in Israel.
A red drum spawning event combined with cold water temperatures created a huge seafood buffet for the blobs, according to Newsweek.
Cheryl Lewis Ames is an associate professor of applied marine biology at the Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University in Japan. Few jellyfish species will show up just when you think they will.
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