Scientists believe a bright purple jellyfish covered in tiny mouths that has washed up on a Queensland beach could be an undiscovered species.
The extraordinary color of the creature has baffled marine experts, who are now trying to determine the species.
"It's straight out of science fiction," said marine biologist Dr Lisa Gershwin, who was set to analyze the jellyfish on Wednesday. "It's an electric, vibrant, ‘wow’ purple."
She said the tentacles, or oral arms, were about a meter long and covered in microscopic mouths.
Lifeguards on the sunshine coast found the jellyfish at Coolum beach on Wednesday morning and handed it over to scientists at nearby Underwater World.
Gershwin believed the jellyfish could be a thysanostoma, but said the species was normally brown or beige.
"It begs the question, if it's such a vibrant, different color, what other features does it have?" Gershwin, from the CSIRO marine and atmospheric research centre, said.
"When we get it under the microscope I think we'll start noticing all kinds of things," she said.
It is rare to find thysanostoma in Australian waters and even rarer to spot one off Queensland's south-east coast, as they prefer the warmer tropical waters.
Although the jellyfish’s color screams “don't mess with me”, Gershwin said it was unlikely to pack much of a sting.