Yes, Freshwater Jellyfish Really Do Live in Montana Waterways

As a native Montanan who has seen a few trips around the big ball of fire in the sky, I often think there isn't anything about our state that will surprise me.  But the state just threw me the biggest curveball ever.

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Jellyfish.  Yes, jellyfish in Montana.  I was today's years old when I learned that Montana is home to a freshwater species of the familiar blob floating in oceans and seas.  They aren't common, but we do have them and there is a new sighting of one in the state.

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Yes, Freshwater Jellyfish Really Do Live in Montana Waterways

First reported in 2009 in a body of water near the Missouri River in Great Falls, Montana the Craspedacusta sowerbii, or freshwater jellyfish was sighted.  But since that time, no other instances of the jellyfish have been reported to Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (Region 3) via Facebook

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That is until this summer when the small jellyfish was found again by a young recreationist in a pond adjacent to Canyon Ferry Reservoir.  The agency stated that it is "unknown how the species made its way to Montana or whether the discovery near Canyon Ferry is related to the state’s initial sighting 17 years earlier" near Great Falls.

MFWP Says No Threat to Public from Jellyfish - Agency Monitoring Invasive Species

According to MFWP, the freshwater jellyfish is native to eastern Asia but is found on almost every continent, as well as most states in the U.S.  However, the species is completely harmless to humans, unlike some if it's counterparts, including the deadly Man-O-War species.

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MFWP are continuing to monitor the discovery as the jellyfish is considered a non-native, invasive species in waterways.  The ecological impact is uncertain, but other states haven't had issues.  MFWP reminds everyone that cleaning and inspecting water vessels is important to keeping species like this from invading Montana.  You can learn more about the freshwater jellyfish in Montana here.