Beautiful Spanish town under siege from 'stinky, sticky creatures' ruining beaches
Towns along the Costa del Sol including Almeria, Gibraltar and Malaga are under siege by jellyfish-like creatures, as they wash up on beaches leaving a foul-smelling, sticky mess behind.
Beaches in the Costa del Sol in southern Spain are under siege by jellyfish-like creatures which is leaving the beautiful golden sand covered in a sticky, nasty smelling mess.
The harmless translucent creature, called 'salp', has been washing up on beaches all thoughout Analucia - from Almeria to Gibraltar - and were most recently seen in Malaga.
Locals and tourists alike have been left annoyed by the emergence of the salp, as when they wash ashore and die en masse, they are left behind to rot in the sunshine.
This leaves behind a stinky, sticky mess, forcing the local council to launch a frantic cleanup effort to rid the beautiful beaches of the salp graveyard.
Unlike jellyfish, to which they are not related, the creatures pose no threat to humans but Manilva City Council announced that officials were working to keep the beaches clear, reports The Olive Press.
Huge swarms of salps, also known as sea squirts, are small, translucent and gelatinous creatures are often seen throughout oceans around the world, but they are mostly found in Antarctic Ocean.
However, in the Mediterranean, these swarms often float into the waters off the coast of Andalucia and have been observed even near to Egypt.
They will eat almost anything that passes through their feeding nets, but prefer phytoplankton and play an important role in the econsystem as they spread nutrients throughout the ocean as they continually eat and excrete.
The problem with salp, like the one seen on the Costa del Sol, is that their feeding system means they swarm very quickly and easily leading to huge swarms emerging in the sea.
Inevitably, when the creatures have done all they can, they die and wash up on beaches - leading to problems like the ones seen in Spain.
Normally however, these beaches in the Costa del Sol are a non-sticky or smelly paradise for sun-seekers. The most recent beaches to be invaded by the creatures in Malaga are some of the best in Spain.
There are plenty to choose from too, as within just the 14km of the town's coastline, there are a whopping 16 beaches. The most popular are La Malagueta, La Misericordia, El Palo and Pedregalejo.
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According to SpanishSabores.com, the best of the beaches is Playa De La Malagueta, called 'buzzing and colourful', it is the closest to the city centre and the easiest to reach.
There are a mix of both locals and tourists enjoying the sunshine on the beaches, as well as some lovely shady area under the palm trees.
There are also a number of chiringuitos - beach bars - along the front where you can enjoy a refreshing drink.
One happy visitor wrote on TripAdvisor: "Nice beach with nice bars and restaurants along the way."
Another named it one of the nicest beaches in Spain, writing: "Safe and enjoyable nice water and clean and nice for go to with the family."