[caption id="attachment_78999" align="aligncenter" width="549"] The jellyfish was found by the Lim family as they walked on the beach
[/caption]Giant Jelly Fish Washes Ashore in Tasmania

Hobart, Tasmania - The Lim family were taking a stroll on the beach not far from this major port city on this remote island when they came across an unusually large jellyfish washed up on the stony beach. The diameter of the jelly fish was 5 meters (~5 feet). The Lim family took a photograph of the gelatinous free-swimming animal. It looked like several gallons of a mocha latte spilled out onto the beach.

As per Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin, a scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia, the jellyfish is likely what is known as a lion's mane jellyfish.

"She and her children found the jellyfish and took this amazing photo that just boggles the mind," said Dr. Gershwin, according to BBC News.

However, not many of them have been observed and the animal has yet to be formally classified. That is what makes the Lim's find so important as the specimen is now in the hands of scientists for a formal classification.

Dr. Gershwin finds the jellyfish discovery to be a humbling reminder that there are species of animals in the land and ocean that science has yet to classify and confront. It goes without saying that she and her colleagues are giddy over the find. Some say the jellyfish is about the length of a smart car.

"[We] finally got specimens this year of it, so it's new to science, but it's not a brand new thing completely out of left field," said Dr. Gershwin. "It's one of these things that really makes us come face-to-face with the fact that there are things we don't know about out there in nature, particularly in the ocean."

On The Web:
Giant Jellyfish Washes Ashore On Tasmanian Beach (PHOTO)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/06/giant-jellyfish-washes-ashore-australia-tasmanian-beach_n_4739904.html

Giant jellyfish found on Australia beach
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-26062303