Jellyfish are not aggressive toward humans. We should definitely respect and not harm them. They provide food for many marine animals, and their movements help to circulate nutrients throughout the ocean. As such, it is important to understand how to safely interact with jellyfish and to take precautions when swimming in areas where they are known to be present.
Of the more than 2,000 species, roughly 70 are thought to be potentially dangerous to humans. The stings of some of these can even be fatal to humans, and may leave permanent scars on any victim lucky enough to survive. The box jellyfish is notorious for being the most venomous and deadliest jellyfish. Sea wasp is a species of Box jellyfish, it is the most lethal jellyfish in the world.
Jellyfish use their sting to capture prey and act as a defence mechanism. When their tentacles encounter prey they reach out and fire out harpoon-like structures containing a neurotoxic venom. It will paralyse their prey but in humans it will just really hurt.
You can touch the top of the jellyfish without being hurt. Only pick up a jellyfish with your bare hands in extreme emergencies, as many species of jellyfish stings can be very dangerous and even deadly.
Jellyfish inhabit all the world’s oceans and can withstand a wide range of temperatures and salinities. Upon receiving stings from the jellyfish, urgent and immediate medical help should be sought.
What are 5 facts about jellyfish?
Jellyfish are not fish. They are older than dinosaurs. Some jellyfish can glow and are immortal. They have stinging cells to paralyze prey. Jellyfish move by floating and swimming. They eat small fish, shrimp, crabs and plants. Over 2000 jellyfish species exist. They range from 1cm to 36m long. So they eat different things depending on size. But all jellyfish are carnivores. There could be 300,000 unknown jellyfish species. Climate change benefits them. Jellyfish have been in space. Some do mating dances. Between skin layers is a water-based substance with cells and proteins. 150 million jellyfish stings happen yearly. Stings can be dangerous. Jellyfish live everywhere in oceans. They are mainly water. Some don’t have tentacles. The biggest is 36 meters long. Jellyfish are predators and prey, keeping ocean life in balance.
What is inside a jellyfish?
Only five percent is solid; the rest is water. Outside the water, a jellyfish becomes a blob. Jellyfish have six eye clusters with four simple, pigment-filled eyes to catch light. They also have complex, lensed eyes. Blue whales can poop 200 litres. Jellyfish do not ink; squid ink when threatened. Box jellyfish off Australia have 24 eyes and 15 tentacles.
There are three jellyfish layers: the skin, a thick, jelly-like layer, and the digestive layer. The jellyfish life cycle has a stalked phase attached to reefs and a floating jellyfish phase. Their eggs are fertilized internally and form larvae that grow into adults. Jellyfish tentacles paralyze prey before eating them through their bell’s central mouth. Some jellyfish die after mating.
Jellyfish detect stimuli and transmit impulses through nerve cells. They lack brains, blood and bones. Moon jellyfish live in marine waters worldwide. Freshwater jellyfish like the peach blossom jellyfish live in lakes and don’t sting. Some jellyfish live on the ocean bottom.
Jellyfish tentacles have stinging cells to stun prey. Their bell-shaped body has a mouth for eating. They don’t attack people. Jellyfish reproduce daily if conditions allow. Comb jellies beat rows of cilia to swim but aren’t related to jellyfish. Jellyfish are mostly water with skin one cell thick. They lack organs but can detect stimuli.
What eats a jellyfish?
Jellyfish eat a variety of food from plants to crustaceans. Some even feed on fish. They propel themselves by squirting water. Their lifespan has four parts.
Jellyfish are favorites for ocean sunfish. Sunfish eat many jellyfish to maintain their weight. Gray triggerfish use strong jaws to bite jellyfish. Their teeth pierce hard shells of crabs and sand dollars enabling quick escape for jellyfish.
Seabirds also enjoy jellyfish. Fish like Boops boops prey on mauve stinger jellyfish by biting off pieces and avoiding stinging cells. In parts of Asia, jellyfish are traditional cuisine for centuries. They provide protein, collagen and nutrients.
Atlantic bluefin tuna loves hunting jellyfish. Seals do not eat jellyfish unlike marine animals like penguins. The smaller jellies called carnivorous feed on tiny organisms floating in sea. These include plankton and fish eggs.
Adult jellyfish happily catch and eat lobsters, shrimps and crustaceans. Their simple digestion system consumes anything from plants to fish that pass by. Jellyfish face danger from being caught and eaten by sea turtles and spadefish.