By Susanne Masters
A few years ago a photo of swimmer Jane Lloyd with a jellyfish spread went viral on the internet. That jellyfish was a whopper – living up to its name of dustbin lid jellyfish or barrel jellyfish (Rhizostoma pulmo). They can have domes that are just shy of 1m wide, and they can weigh up to 35kg. Perhaps what was most captivating about the photo is not the size of the jellyfish but the clear delight on Jane’s face when fear of jellyfish is common enough to have a name – cnidarophobia. If you are one of those swimmers who is horrified by jellyfish, barrel jellyfish might be the ones to help you.