"Negli ultimi 10 anni gli avvistamenti di meduse lungo le coste italiane sono aumentati addirittura di dieci volte". Così Angela Santucci, biologa marina presso l'Istituto di Scienze Marine del CNR di Lesina (Foggia).
"Il nostro mare è la casa di numerose specie di meduse, sia native che aliene" spiega la biologa osservando che "ormai ogni estate siamo a rischio a causa dell'innalzamento delle temperature globali, dei massivi traffici marittimi attraverso i canali che ci collegano con gli oceani, soprattutto quello di Suez, del depauperamento delle popolazioni di grossi pesci predatori, nonché competitori alimentari delle meduse".
Alcune, arrivate dai tropici, possono essere letali. È il caso della "velenosissima Caravella portoghese (Physalia physalis), avvistata al largo della Sicilia, della Sardegna e recentemente anche a Villa San Giovanni (Reggio Calabria) - spiega Santucci - che nei suoi lunghi tentacoli ha tossine che possono causare fortissimi dolori e anche l'arresto cardiaco nell'uomo.
ATS/M. Ang.
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