Beachgoers are being warned to take extra care ahead of the bank holiday weekend after an enormous cannibal jellyfish washed up on a north Dublin beach.

The Lion's Mane is the largest species of jellyfish in the world and can give off an extremely painful and potentially fatal sting - even after they've died.

The massive creature - which can measure as long as 36.5 metres from its head to to the end of its tentacles - was photographed at Malahide Beach this morning.

It led the local authority to urge beachgoers to be extra vigilant in an advisory note issued this morning.

The warning from Fingal County Council

They said: "Fingal County Council is urging bathers to be extra vigilant on beaches where Lions Mane jellyfish are found.

“A sting from a Lion’s Mane jellyfish can cause nausea, sweating, cramps, headaches and other symptoms and severe stings should seek urgent medical attention.”

They added a photo of an enormous creature in the shallows at Malahide beach that was taken by lifeguards on duty there.

There have been several reported sightings of the jellyfish along Dublin’s beaches in recent weeks.

The enormous animals use their stinging tentacles to capture, pull in, and eat prey including fish, sea creatures, birds and even smaller jellyfish.

Lion’s mane jellyfish can be encountered in the Irish Sea from June until late September.