A rare species of jellyfish known as the “pink meanie” has recently been spotted along the Gulf Coast, particularly near Port Aransas marina. The jellyfish, whose scientific name is Drymonema larsoni, is known for its distinctive pink color and large size.
Jace Tunnell from the Harte Research Institute reported sightings of these creatures in a video posted to Facebook on September 22. In the video, Tunnell described the pink meanie as looking like a “bubble gum pink blob in the water,” and noted that while filming he was stung by one. “I even spotted one in a Port Aransas marina wrapped around a moon jellyfish (their favorite food)… and yes, I got stung while filming this episode. Don’t worry—it’s only a mild sting, but you’ll see it all on camera,” Tunnell said.
Tunnell also warned about their impressive size: “These giants can reach 70-foot tentacles, weigh over 50 pounds, and look like floating cotton candy in the water.”
The species was first identified by Keith Bayha, who at the time was a post-doctoral student. According to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL), “Pink meanies first started showing up in the northern Gulf of Mexico in the early 2000s and were recorded by Monty Graham at DISL,” Bayha said. “Dr. Graham sent me samples for DNA analysis when I was a graduate student at the University of Delaware. I tried to use them for a study I was doing on the Lion’s Mane Jellyfish, whose family the pink meanie previously belonged to, but they were too different.”
Bayha later determined that these jellyfish represented an entirely new family. Despite their size, Bayha explained that their sting is not severe: “I had my arm up to the elbow in a really large one we had collected and the sting was minor. My entire arm had a rash the next day, but it wasn’t bad at the time.”
The recent appearance of pink meanies is linked to their predation on moon jellyfish, which have also been gathering along parts of Texas’ coast.
This story was originally published September 23, 2025 at 4:20 PM.
