An unusual discovery of a rare transparent jellyfish with recently eaten prey seen within its stomach on a beach in the UK was made by photographer Nikki Banfield, the Daily Mail reported on Thursday. 

Banfield, known as the BareFoot Photographer, took pictures of the rare purple jellyfish known as the "Mauve Stinger" as it had washed up on a beach in the Scilly Isles.

“There are not many instances where you can see the prey of a creature in a predator's stomach!” Banfield told the Daily Mail, referring to the small fish trapped within the digestive system of the jellyfish.

The Mauve Stinger jellyfish is rarely seen near UK shores and would more likely be found in warmer European waters, such as the Mediterranean.

Despite their presence being uncommon, Banfield had taken photographs several months ago showing hundreds of thousands of Mauve Stingers that had washed up on the same beach, the Daily Mail said. 

'Mauve Stinger' jellyfish washed up at Porth Hellick, St Mary's on the Scilly Isles. (credit: SCREENSHOT/DAILY MAIL)
'Mauve Stinger' jellyfish washed up at Porth Hellick, St Mary's on the Scilly Isles. (credit: SCREENSHOT/DAILY MAIL)
"The mauve stinger is a small jellyfish, but it certainly packs a powerful punch, with long tentacles and warty structures on its "bell" full of stinging cells," the Wildlife Trust explained in the report. 

"This jellyfish usually appears a bluey purple (mauve) color with a globe-shaped umbrella covered in orangey brown warts," the Wildlife Trust reportedly added.