The Two Oceans Aquarium has accidentally picked up the “unicorn of jellyfish” - the “pink meanie” - a rare species.
Due to its rarity, the South African species has not been classified and experts know little about it.
It is jellyvorous, meaning they eat other jelly species by reeling them in with their long tentacles.
The pink meanie (Drymonema sp) has only been sighted a few times in conjunction with intense blooms of other species, particularly moon jellies on which it feeds in the Northern Hemisphere.
The particular pink meanie at the aquarium differs from those found in other parts of the world.
It is thought to be endemic, as this variety has only been observed around the south western coast of Africa, an unusual habitat for Drymonema - all other known species inhabit warm waters, such as the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
The Mexican pink meanie, was only discovered in 2000.
A Mediterranean relative, the “Big Pink Jellyfish”, has been known to science since the 1800s, but when spotted in 2014 it had been almost 70 years since the last sighting.
This specimen was netted outside of the aquarium while collecting box jellies and was added to a compass jelly holding tank over the weekend.
On Monday morning, handlers found that all the compass jellies appeared to be sticking together. But they had in fact been ensnared by an unnoticed newcomer - the pink meanie.
Jelly handler at the aquarium, Krish Lewis said the team was excited to see such a rare animal. “I didn’t think I would ever see one. This guy is completely different. With other jellies, the tentacles come from the edge of the umbrella. With this one, the tentacles come from under the umbrella.”
He said unlike other jellies, it was nearly blind, only being able to distinguish between light and dark. It also has thick tentacles, allowing it to ensnare other jellyfish and pull them in.
“We are feeding it vast variants of jellyfish, and it is growing fast. Space is usually a limiting factor, but this guy is outgrowing his tank.”
While the animal measures about 15cm in diameter, he said it could grow to about 1m.