Thousands of pink jellyfish that have been absent for many years in Palawan, Philippines because of human activity are now rising to the surface because they no longer feel threatened in their natural habitat, the Science Times reported. Experts believe that these creatures stayed closer to the bottom of the sea because of the presence of the tourists.

Below is a video shared by Pierre Thiaville, a French outdoor photographer, of even more jellyfish swarming in El Nido, Palawan:

Palawan, Philippines was once a hot tourist spot known for its beautiful beaches. They were once packed with many people but now deserted because of the COVID-19 pandemic allowing nature to flourish along its coastlines.

Dr Sheldon Rey Boco, the co-founder of the Philippine Jellyfish Stings Project, told Manila Bulletin that these 'sea tomato' are probably present in late January or February. Still, due to the wind, current and tidal conditions, the pink jellyfish only seem to appear on March in Palawan.

The factors that may influence the occurrence of medusa and their blooms are the atmosphere, water velocity, current, tide and even geological feature of the coast or any body of water, according to Boco.

He also added that the blooms or populations of jellyfish are not always constant. There are some years that the jellyfish population are high and also years when there are only a few or even almost absent.

Jellyfish certainly are not affected by #COVID19 restrictions. Here is a bloom of #jellyfish medusae of the tomato jelly, Crambione cf. mastigophora in El Nido, S. Philippines
Alimar Amor 23 March 2020 pic.twitter.com/5avr1ptJdy — Sheldon Rey Boco (@SheldonRey) March 28, 2020

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