Much of my time on the water this past month was spent fixated on the surface, watching colorful rusted red blobs pulsate through the water. The flowing orangish tentacles contributed to the organism’s name, the lion’s mane. The largest lion's mane ever recorded washed up on a beach in Massachusetts Bay in 1870 with a bell over 7 feet wide and tentacles 120 feet long. This is longer than a Blue Whale, putting the lion’s mane amongst the ranks in the controversial competition of the longest animal in the world along with the bootlace worm and its cousin, the giant siphonophore!
The lion’s mane is found in the northern hemisphere above 42° latitude and the larger ones are found further north in the frigid Arctic waters. The size of the creature also dictates its shade of color with smaller ones being a tan to orange color and larger ones being a deeper burnt red.
The species is often given an unfavorable and false reputation as a killer, like in the Sherlock Holme’s book “The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane.” However, its stings are rarely fatal and can be treated with home remedies.
Kirsten, naturalist