One undeniable result of the lack of human activity outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic is that animals feel more comfortable inhabiting the spaces we once roamed. While we’re staying indoors to keep the spread of infection as low as possible, animals are taking notice and feeling more comfortable coming into cities and towns.
In Spain, wild boars have been spotted in city streets. In Wales, towns have been inundated with goats. In India, both monkeys and buffalo have been seen in large numbers on roads that would otherwise be choked with cars. It’s the same story around the globe.
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Sea life seems to have been largely unaffected, at least so far.
In Venice, a story of dolphins swimming in the city’s canals started to spread, but was debunked soon after. A video making the rounds supposedly showing the dolphins swimming in Venice turned out to be filmed in Sardinia, which is about 750 km away.
However, the reduced traffic on Venice’s waterways have in fact lured in some less common visitors.
This jellyfish was recently spotted going for a leisurely swim through Venice’s canals.
Andrea Mangoni, a zoologist with the University of Bolonga, captured the jellyfish’s light, almost magical swim just below the surface, with the city’s reflection acting as a surreal backdrop.
“I was able to film a jellyfish that was swimming close to the San Marco square, only few inches below the water surface,” Mangoni told Reuters .
Mangoni has been using the downtime around Venice to get a better look at what’s going on beneath the surface of the canals.
With no tourists filling up gondolas and tour boats, which stir up the canals, and lower pollution and emissions, the water is unusually clear and still.
It’s an opportunity Mangoni hasn’t been able to pass up, and he has documented what he’s been seeing on his social media accounts.
And as fascinating as that exploration has been, it’s just not quite as poetic and enthralling as the image of the jellyfish.
It’s something that Mangoni recognized as well, singling its journey out with an Instagram post. “Thanks to the exceptional calm of the canals of Venice due to the absence of boats, this jellyfish (Rhizostoma pulmo) swam in the transparent waters near the Baretteri bridge, and seemed to slip through the reflection of the buildings, incredibly motionless,” he wrote.
Check out the full video and see for yourself!
h/t: Reuters
