A biologist filmed a jellyfish gliding through Venice’s canals, whose water has become unusually clear for the first time in history due to coronavirus lockdown.
Andrea Mangoni who works in the same city told Reuters that he was able to see the creature only because the waves were low and water was crystal-clear.
He said: “I was able to film a jellyfish that was swimming close to the San Marco square, only [a] few inches below the water surface.”
The scientist shared the footage on Instagram with the caption: “Sometimes you just have to change your point of view, to admire a ghost moving through the Venetian palaces.
“Thanks to the exceptional calm of the canals of Venice due to the absence of boats, this [barrel] jellyfish (rhizostoma pulmo) swam in the transparent waters near the Baretteri Bridge, and seemed to slip through the reflection of the buildings.”
After Italy went into lockdown due to the pandemic, a lot of creatures had been spotted swimming in the Venetian canal. The absence of boats on the Grand Canal made the sediment to sink, enabling people to see the wildlife through clean waters.
A few days back, 40-year-old Marco Capovilla captured the clips of various types of fish swimming in the waterway.
Sharing the photos on Twitter, the real estate agent wrote: “During these days, traffic in Venice has become almost absent. The city doesn’t have sewers, so normally everything goes into the canals, including detergents and cosmetics.”
He added: “Thanks to the quarantine, we are experiencing a cleaner environment.”
Resident Martina Bettoni expressed her delight on seeing the return of wildlife to the channel. She said: “Seeing so many fish in the canals was extremely rare before the quarantine.
“I hope we’ll learn from this tragic time, and that when this is over Venice will be able to strike a balance between tourist crowds and cleanliness.”
Replaced!