Swimming In Minnesota Lakes? Watch Out For Jellyfish

Spending a day at the lake is a time for fun in the sun, especially when you're in Minnesota. The last thing you would expect to see in any of Minnesota’s “10,000 lakes” would be jellyfish.

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CBS News is one of the many news outlets that have confirmed these freshwater jellyfish sightings in Minnesota. The article indicates that having these jellyfish in the lakes isn't totally out of the ordinary. About 20 to 30 Minnesota lakes have reportedly freshwater jellyfish. One of the smaller lakes, Loon Lake, located on the Whitefish Chain north of Brainerd, even has seen these freshwater jellyfish.

Officials from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources explain to future lake attendees that these jellyfish are not "exotic" or "invasive." These freshwater jellyfish have apparently been in North America for more than 100 years. "It's just out there. (They are) one of those strange, unique, interesting little life forms that are in our lake that most people don't know anything about," says Gary Montz from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

How big are these Minnesota jellyfish? Honestly, they are about the size of a penny. They only live in warm water for about a week. Since they are so tiny, the likelihood of these stings harming people appears to be extremely slim. Gary Montz explains to CBS News, "If you're swimming with them, wading with them, pick one up, they're not going to harm you at all."

So in this case, it's okay to swim with the jellyfish!

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