What are the little blobs of jelly on the beach?

Question

I went to a beach in Rhode Island yesterday and everywhere we looked there were little blobs of a jelly like substance, washed up on the shore and in the water we were swimming in.

They were clear with little white lines in them, about half the size of a marble, maybe even smaller. Some people were saying they were fish eggs, some that they were little jellyfish, but no one seemed to know. There were millions of them all up and down the beach. They did not seem to be particularly spherical, or elongated, most were just, well, glob-of-jelly shaped.

Anyone know what these were and if they were harmful?

Thank you.

Answer 1

They are dead jellyfish washed up up on shore.  A lot of times during a tropical storm, jellyfish will become beached and die.  They are not harmful, since they are dead.  Had a storm of some sort occurred a day or two before you visited the beach?  Below is a similar photo.

Answer 2

in FL we get these jellyfish that don't have any tentacles and are perfectly clear.  like you said, you MIGHT be able to see some lines in them when they're still in the water, but they're really hard to see, you just feel them bump into you sometimes or accidentally catch one in your hand.  Since they don't have tentacles they're absolutely harmless.  And they range from tiny like the ones you talk about, to big ones the size of portobello mushrooms.  I think that could just depend on the region - I'm on the Gulf of Mexico.  They wash up on the beach too.  It sounds like that's what they are.

Answer 3

there were baby jellyfish all over the water's edge at salty brine beach!  i have  pictures.. ive never seen this before! at first i thought it was the way the sand was gathering but not after i slipped on them!

gross!