Rare jellyfish making an appearance in Nanyang

The Xichuan part of the Danjiang River Reservoir in Nanyang city, Henan province saw a large number of unusual freshwater jellyfish floating around on Aug 8, and getting a lot of attention.

The freshwater jellyfish, which is round and about the size of a fingernail, is sometimes referred to as a "living fossil" since it is thought to have been around for more than 500 million years, and is considered an endangered species that is as rare as the panda.

The Xichuan area is a water source for China's massive South-to-North water project so it has done a lot to improve water quality and its environment by shutting down at least 350 enterprises and more than 200 large livestock farms.

It also built a water treatment plant at a cost of 500 million yuan ($83 million) and added various fish species to the water to improve the ecosystem. And, thanks to these improvements, the water quality of the reservoir has reached high national standards and is providing a safe living environment for the sensitive freshwater jellyfish.

Rare freshwater jellyfish discovered in the Xichuan part of the Danjiangkou Reservoir. [Photo/Nanyang Daily]

Freshwater jellyfish moving gracefully in the cleaned-up water. [Photo/Xinhua]

Close-up view of the freshwater jellyfish in the water. [Photo/Xinhua]