The lack of boats clogging the famous Venetian canals in Italy has allowed the city's marine life to flourish, with one local zoologist capturing a barrel jellyfish gliding gracefully through the now crystal-clear waters.
Andrea Mangoni, a zoologist and photographer according to his social media, shared a clip of the jellyfish just inches below the surface as it floated through the now vacant canals, the city's historic buildings reflected in the water.
Since Italy has remained under stringent lockdown restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Venice's renowned waterways have become uncharacteristically quiet. The city's typically congested boat traffic has lessened, the reduced emissions and pollution resulting in noticeably clearer waters.
In an interview with Reuters, Magoni said the low tide and reduced traffic due to the country's ongoing travel restrictions have made it possible to observe marine life within the centre of the city.
Magoni shared the clip on April 13, a rough translation of his caption reading: "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 jellyfish (rhizostoma pulmo) swam in the transparent waters near the Baretteri Bridge, and seemed to slip through the reflection of the building."
The bridge, Ponte dei Baretteri, is located near the city's St Mark's Square.
Earlier in March, Mangoni also captured footage of another barrel jellyfish floating in the waters of Piran, Slovenia.
In March, a video emerged that claimed to show dolphins swimming in the Venetian canals, a clip that later went viral. The footage was soon debunked.
Italy has been in lockdown since early March following a rampant outbreak of the virus. The country has grappled with a rising death toll, implementing stringent protocol such as widespread closures in a bid to slow the spread.
As of Wednesday (local time), there have been more than 187,300 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Italy, according to the latest official figures. It is currently the third worst-affected country in the world, behind the US and Spain respectively. The country's death toll has reached 25,085.
