Despite being an oceanic animal, the organism has been detected along the Algarve coast, which may be related to currents, because it is a species that feeds on phytoplankton and its movement is influenced by maritime movement, explained Joana Cruz, researcher at the Center for Marine Sciences (CCMAR) at the University of Algarve (UAlg).

It is a species of tunicate, invertebrate, measuring between 1 and 30 centimeters, which is "completely harmless", unlike several species of jellyfish, which pose a risk to humans because they sting sometimes as a defense mechanism.

According to the researcher, these gelatinous and translucent, barrel-shaped organisms, very similar to jellyfish, have a very important role in capturing carbon from the oceans, helping environmental sustainability, but they are not usually found in coastal areas.

Joana Cruz highlighted that a colony is usually made up of "many individuals clinging to each other" and the group can be "hundreds of meters wide".

According to Joana Cruz, because they are similar to jellyfish, people may be scared, but these organisms "do no harm", because they do not have "stinging cells", she reiterated.