THIS giant jellyfish was found washed up on Sandbanks beach today.

Poole resident Martin Lewis sent in this picture of the jellyfish, which attracted several curious dogs and their walkers.

He said: “It was only about a metre from the sea and a lot of dogs were showing interest in it.

“It’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen. You usually expect jellyfish to have quite thin tentacles but these were large and thick making it look more like an octopus.

“Quite a few people were remarking that they wouldn’t want to be swimming alongside it.”

Around 10 barrel jellyfish sightings have been reported along the south coast recently and experts believe there will be more as the weather warms up. They are harmless to humans but people are still advised not to touch them.