CHENGDU, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- A rare type of freshwater jellyfish, roughly the size of a coin, has been discovered in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The rare jellyfish, identified by experts as the Craspedacusta sichuanensis, was found by a group of children when they were playing in a park in Chengdu.

The Craspedacusta, believed to have existed for more than 550 million years and older than dinosaurs, is the only freshwater jellyfish on earth and is hailed as a "living fossil" in biological evolution research, according to Zhao Li, curator of the Insect Museum of West China.

There are 11 Craspedacusta species recorded in the world, of which nine are found in China. The Craspedacusta sichuanensis is an endangered species, and has been mainly found in areas near Dujiangyan and Qingcheng Mountain, according to Zhao.

"This is the first time the Craspedacusta sichuanensis was found in the urban area of Chengdu," Zhao said.

Unlike the jellyfish in the ocean, the Craspedacusta is much less poisonous and not considered dangerous to humans. They are crystal clear, and graceful like peach blossoms, Zhao described.

Researchers have found that freshwater jellyfish are very sensitive to the environment and only exist in clean waters. Enditem