The most dangerous jellyfish in the world. The largest and most poisonous jellyfish

sea ​​jellyfish, which is called a wasp, belongs to the category of box jellyfish, a type of cnidarians. She is a representative of the exceptional animals of the marine world and is able to live only in the salt water of the seas and oceans.

Invisible danger

The sea wasp jellyfish is considered the most poisonous jellyfish in the world. The toxin that is released from its tentacles depresses the nervous system, causing severe burns and unbearable pain. The result is a heart attack that can lead to cardiac arrest. Timely medical assistance in some cases can save a person’s life. However, there are known cases of death within a very short period of time after an encounter with a poisonous monster. Even a dead sea wasp (photo below) is a source increased danger. The poison-toxin disintegrates only a week after the death of the jellyfish, so it is strictly forbidden to touch it.

Unfortunately, jellyfish of this species are also found in places beach resorts and diving sites. Another danger of meeting a sea wasp is that it is almost invisible. Therefore, precautions should not be neglected.

Habitat

The jellyfish is found in the Indo-Western Pacific Ocean and in South-East Asia. The sea wasp is most often found off the coast of northern Australia, where there is plenty of coral and shallow sea depth during the summer months from November to March. Jellyfish inhabit coastal areas at a respectful distance from the coast, but when the sea is very rough they can be washed ashore.

Appearance

The sea wasp is the largest representative of its class. The body of the jellyfish is a transparent dome, consisting of 95% water. Its shape is similar to a rounded cube, hence the name box jellyfish. The size of the dome is 20-45 cm, in size it can be compared with a basketball ball. It has a pale blue color and is completely invisible in the water.

The animal has 24 eyes, which are located in three pairs in each corner of the dome. Two pairs of eyes serve to receive images, and one only reacts to light. Scientists cannot explain the presence of so many eyes in a jellyfish, because the information received from what it sees has nowhere to be transmitted; it does not have a brain.

In addition to the organs of vision, there are 60 tentacles - four bundles of 15 pieces each. The probes, 15 cm long and 5 mm thick, stretch up to three meters when hunting for prey. Each tentacle is covered with stinging cells containing deadly poison.

The sea wasp does not have a skeleton; it is replaced by two nervous systems, one of which receives and processes information received from the organs of vision, and the other controls the movement of muscles along the border of the dome, which function simultaneously and harmoniously.

Nutrition

Sea wasps feed in coastal waters small fish and various bottom organisms, but the most favorite delicacy is shrimp. When going out to fish, they extend their tentacles and freeze in place. The jellyfish encloses the stalked victim in probes, pierces the skin, injects poison, kills and swallows. In appearance, its bite resembles a wasp, only the venom is much more toxic, incomparable even to the venom of a snake.

Reproduction

The sea wasp gives birth only once in its entire life, and then dies. Box jellyfish live for about 7 months and continue to grow throughout this period.

Sea wasps reproduce offspring in the same way as other individuals belonging to this species. They reproduce in summer period, gathering in large flocks and swimming closer to the shores. During this period of time, Australia is trying to close all beaches.

The male ejects a dose of sperm into the water while near the swimming female. The latter swallows it, fertilization occurs. Larvae develop inside the female, which after some time are released into the water and settle on the surface of the seabed. They stick to stones, shells, and driftwood, forming polyps.

As a result of budding, small jellyfish grow from polyps, which break off and begin independent life. They immediately navigate the sea and feed on plankton on their own.

What do Australians call a sea wasp?

Due to its transparency, this small sea animal is almost invisible in the water. Is an active predator and represents great danger for animals and humans. This animal swims well and maneuvers well among algae and corals, moving at speeds of up to six meters per minute. During the day it is most often at the bottom, and with the onset of evening it floats to the upper layers of water. The speed at which a jellyfish attacks its prey is very high.

And the poison contained in the tentacles is so poisonous that when stung, any creature instantly dies. Moreover, it stings several times in a row, bringing the concentration of poison to a lethal level. Australian sea wasp - that’s what this jellyfish is called - it poses a danger to all living organisms, with the exception of the poison of these predators does not affect them, and turtles eat box jellyfish with appetite.

Consequences of an encounter with a sea wasp

Although box jellyfish are extremely dangerous to human life, they do not attack them themselves; on the contrary, they tend to swim to the side. It can sting a person purely by accident. Often the victims are scuba divers who are not protected by special suits.

When the skin comes into contact with the tentacle, terrible pain, severe redness and swelling appear. A person's heart most often stops and he drowns. Some managed to get ashore, but paralysis set in respiratory systems s, and the man died. After autopsy, it was discovered that the victims' respiratory organs were filled with mucus, while others died from cerebral hemorrhage. There were cases where a person did not die immediately, but no one remained alive.

Protecting the lives of vacationers

During the jellyfish migration season, net barriers are installed on beaches to prevent them from entering the swimming area. Despite this, small specimens penetrate through the mesh cells, so the beach administration warns vacationers about the danger and strictly prohibits them from entering the water.

This warning should not be ignored. After all, the fast-acting poison of the sea wasp leaves no hope of salvation. The only way to help is to administer an antidote - antitoxic serum and urgently hospitalize the victim. But this does not give any guarantee of saving life.

1. It is known that jellyfish appeared more than 600 million years ago, much earlier than dinosaurs, crocodiles and sharks.
2. Jellyfish and polyps - different stages life period of the same creature.
3. A sea wasp is a jellyfish that breathes through its entire dome and stings like a wasp.
4. The absence of a brain does not prevent them from perceiving nervous stimulation from the organs of touch and vision.
5. They have two nervous systems.

Jellyfish are able to move underwater by sucking in and expelling water by contracting their parasol muscles, but they mostly drift thanks to the current. Scientists believe that they belong to plankton.

A long-awaited vacation at sea can sometimes turn into an unpleasant memory, the reason for which is an encounter with a jellyfish.

The sea creature, consisting of 98% liquid, is difficult to see in water, so contact with it often occurs through negligence and can have quite disastrous consequences for humans. Which jellyfish are poisonous?

Beware: sea wasp!

A meeting with an inmate is especially dangerous Indian Ocean- jellyfish Chironex fleckeri (or A small animal lives in the waters of the northern coast of Australia and the western coast of Thailand; it inhabits quiet coves of sandy beaches and is most active in the summer months. Every year, the most poisonous jellyfish - the sea wasp - kills about 20 people.

The body of the jellyfish is almost transparent, with a slight bluish tint, which is why the inconspicuous creature is quite difficult to see in the water. The diameter of the dome is 30-40 cm, thin tentacles are covered with stinging cells with highly toxic poison and are located in 4 bundles of 15 pieces. In a calm state, their length is 10-20 cm, but when the sea wasp goes hunting, it increases to 3 meters. The poisonous jellyfish does not attack its victim first; frozen in one place, it waits for prey to swim past and mercilessly stings it several times.

Consequences of an encounter with a sea wasp

The burn of an inhabitant of the aquatic depths, in addition to paralysis of breathing and an instantly swollen, strongly burning lesion, paralyzes the work of the heart and nervous systems. Under the influence of painful shock or a heart attack, the victim may simply not swim to shore. In the best case, a person will experience pain for several days, and slowly healing ulcers will remain at the burn site, which subsequently turn into scars. It is believed that the patient’s condition can be temporarily alleviated by applying vinegar to the injured area. It is first necessary to get rid of the remnants of the tentacles with great care, remembering their danger and ability to recover when exposed to a humid environment. Then cardiopulmonary and respiratory resuscitation should be applied to the victim. If the antidote - a specific therapeutic serum - is not administered in a timely manner, death can occur within 5 minutes.

Irukandji - the danger of Pacific waters

The Pacific Ocean is home to a variety of poisonous jellyfish, among which it poses a huge danger to humans. Outwardly, it resembles a small (about 15-25 mm in diameter) transparent white bell; thin tentacles are covered with stinging cells that shoot the victim not with a full portion of poison, but with a dosed amount of it. That is why a light bite poisons the victim’s body gradually and is not taken seriously by bathers.

The main symptoms of a burn occur 30-60 minutes from the moment of injury and are accompanied by a chain of paralytic effects: profuse sweating, nausea, vomiting, increased blood pressure, pulmonary edema, as well as severe pain in the head, abdomen, pelvis, and back. In some cases, death is likely. As an immediate measure, treat the affected area with vinegar. Unfortunately, no rescue serum has been invented against such a Pacific jellyfish; the stung person undergoes a set of measures to maintain vital functions until the poison is completely released naturally.

About floating colonies of physalia

Poisonous jellyfish, photos of which demonstrate the deceptive beauty of these sea ​​creatures, live in tropical waters near the coasts of Spain, Italy, Thailand, and Hawaii.

Residents and guests of these places should beware of physalia - floating colonies of marine organisms, very similar to jellyfish and called “Portuguese man-of-war.” The colony consists of several polyps, one of which is similar to balloon gas bubble.

Rising above the water, it allows the colony to easily stay afloat. The remaining parts are 20-meter-long tentacles with poisonous stinging cells at the ends. Their functions include obtaining food and dragging the victim to the center of the colony, where the latter is “processed” by other polyps. When it comes into contact with human skin, the toxic substance causes severe pain, increased body temperature, the appearance of blisters, increased sweating, damage to the nervous and circulatory systems, general malaise.

Stung by a jellyfish: what to do?

When contacting a marine organism, it is imperative to remove any remaining tentacles from the skin and moisten the affected area. big amount sea ​​water. Fresh water cannot be used: this action releases the residue from the surviving stinging cells. According to a number of experts, vinegar, which helps with contact with other jellyfish, may be useless in this case. It is much easier to avoid encounters with the “Portuguese man-of-war” than with a sea wasp due to the bright coloring of its dome. Besides marine organisms They stay in large groups (more than a thousand individuals) and rarely approach the coast.

Poisonous jellyfish of the world: cross

The tiny cross jellyfish poses a huge danger to humans. hallmark which is a brown-red cross inside a transparent yellowish-green dome, the diameter of which varies from 2.5 to 4.0 cm. There are about 60 tentacles, thickened at the ends due to the accumulation of stinging cells; they can vary in size and reach half a meter when extended.

The poisonous cross jellyfish lives in depths of the sea ah, mainly off the coast of Korea, Japan, China, and California. During the spawning period, it swims en masse to shallow waters, where it poses a huge danger to swimmers. Due to the presence of special suckers on the tentacles, the cross is nicknamed the “clinging jellyfish”; As soon as you touch at least one tentacle, the jellyfish rushes in the direction of the victim and tries to cling to it completely. The result of human contact with an inhabitant of the deep sea is a painful burn on the body, redness of the skin at the site of injury and the appearance of blisters. These signs are accompanied by pain in the lumbar region, difficulty breathing, numbness of the limbs, nausea and severe thirst. The effect of the toxic substance lasts for 3-4 days.

Poisonous cyanea jellyfish

The poison of giant cyanide, the most large jellyfish in the world: the diameter of its dome reaches 2.5 meters, and the length of the tentacles is 37 meters. Cyanea hairy (as the sea creature is also called) prefers cold and moderately cold waters, found in northern seas Pacific Ocean and Atlantic, off the coast of Australia, in open waters Arctic seas.

IN warm water doesn't take root. The color of cyanea depends on its size: large individuals are characterized by brown, red and purple shades; small specimens - yellow-brown and orange color. Numerous tentacles of the animal, also called " lion's mane"For its resemblance to the appearance of a lion, it is kept with strong poison. Its action can cause a painful rash and burning sensation, accompanied by allergic manifestations.

Reminder for tourists

When going on vacation to places where an encounter with a jellyfish has high degree chances are, it is recommended to follow the tips below:

• avoid meeting a jellyfish, remembering that its tentacles can extend over considerable distances;
• During an underwater dive, it is better not to touch anything with your hands;
• do not go into the water after a storm to avoid contact with fragments of tentacles.

If you do come across a poisonous jellyfish on your way, it is recommended:

• immediately rinse the wound with salt water;
• treat the affected area with vinegar, alcohol or ammonia;
• carefully remove the remnants of the tentacles - this can be done with a mixture of sand and sea water, which must be applied to the affected area, and then carefully scraped off with a handy object (the back of a knife, a plastic card, etc.; this action is not recommended to be performed with bare hands).

You should definitely seek professional medical assistance, especially if there is dizziness, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, shortness of breath.

Imagine that animals that have no brain and are 95% water can easily kill a person. Yes, it really is as scary as it sounds. The fact is that most of them have special nematocyst cells that release toxins faster than the bullet itself powerful pistol in the world. Therefore, we want to tell you about the most dangerous jellyfish in the world known to man.

1. Sea nettle (Chrysaora). This jellyfish is common in North America. Many of these jellyfish form into a huge flower. Each of them has 24 tentacles up to two meters long. They contain the main weapon of sea nettles - stinging cells.

2. Hairy cyanea (Cyanea capillata) can reach up to 2.5 meters in diameter. The tentacles of this animal stretch for 30 meters or more. Myself sea ​​monster can weigh about 250 kilograms! The hairy cyanea likes to gather in large flocks, and its bite can easily kill a person.

3. Portuguese Man of War (Physalia physalis)- this is not a jellyfish, but a colony of organisms that are inside the bubble. The Portuguese man-of-war is found in all the world's oceans, and its bite is very painful. The pain can even last up to several days, and after this the victim will experience fever, disturbances in the functioning of the heart and lungs, and shock.

4. Irukandji jellyfish (Carukia barnesi) very small, but its poison is incredibly dangerous for humans. Among all the animals that live on Earth, its poison is the most powerful. The bite itself does not cause excruciating pain to a person, but its consequences are terrifying. The victim will experience pain in the back and kidneys, burning of the skin, vomiting, tachycardia and shock.

5. Sea wasp (Chironex fleckeri)- the most poisonous jellyfish in Australia. This is one of the deadliest creatures on the planet. Every year, such jellyfish kill more than 100 people worldwide. Each of the 15 ten-meter tentacles is covered with billions of stinging cells. Scientists say that one such animal can kill 60 people at the same time.

6. Cross jellyfish (Gonionemus vertens). This creature lives in the waters of the Pacific Ocean from China to California. It is easy to recognize, since the brown-red cross located inside is clearly visible through the transparent body. The sting of this jellyfish will not necessarily result in death, but is very painful. And if you are stung again by a cross jellyfish, the consequences can be fatal.

7. Nomura jellyfish (Nemopilema nomurai)- this is one of the most large jellyfish in the world. It can reach several meters in diameter. Because of its long yellow tentacles and hairs, it is also called lion's mane. They mainly sting fishermen who are in the open ocean.

8. Cornermouth Jellyfish (Rhizostoma pulmo) found in the Azov and Black Seas. Their bite can cause not only burning and redness of the skin. The bite of the cornet jellyfish is dangerous due to severe poisoning and failure of some internal organs.

9. Flower cap jellyfish (Olindias formosa)- This is a very beautiful, but not harmless creature. It is small, and its tentacles do not exceed seven centimeters. A person should absolutely not touch it, since touching the tentacles can lead to severe burns. And the toxins that are released as a result of a bite can cause poisoning, shock and respiratory arrest.

First aid for a jellyfish sting. If you feel that you have been bitten by a jellyfish, do not panic, but quickly get out of the water. If a jellyfish is “stuck” to you, try to unhook it, but not with your bare hands. Wash the burn area with vinegar or lemon juice, and consult a doctor.

Looking at these amazing creatures, you’re simply amazed at how inventive Mother Nature is. She created a living organism with a jelly-like transparent body that consists almost entirely of water. But that is not all. They use the same organ for feeding and defecation. But if you think that the jellyfish is completely defenseless and harmless, then you are greatly mistaken. She has a formidable weapon in the form of stinging cells called nematocysts, which are capable of releasing a poisonous, paralyzing liquid. In case of danger, the pressure in the cells increases to 136 atmospheres, they burst, releasing strong poison. This process occurs at tremendous speed.

The toxicity of the poison produced by jellyfish can vary. It all depends on their type. In humans, a jellyfish sting can cause allergic reaction, and even lead to death. Let's focus on the most dangerous species jellyfish

IN coastal zone North America You can find a jellyfish called sea nettle. Its properties are the same as those of an earthly plant. If you touch her umbrella, a painful burn will immediately appear on your body. In summer, jellyfish accumulate near the shore, uniting into huge colonies. This is a serious threat for a swimmer.

Individual individuals can be up to 30 centimeters in diameter. They have long tentacles, sometimes up to two meters long. The stinging cells are located precisely at their ends. A sea nettle bite is not dangerous for humans, but the consequences of such contact are quite unpleasant and sometimes require medical intervention.

If you can still make some jokes when you come into contact with sea nettle, then when you meet hairy cyanide you will not have such an opportunity. This huge jellyfish, with a diameter of up to two and a half meters, and tentacles up to thirty meters. The weight of this monster reaches 250 kilograms. You can find jellyfish all along the North Atlantic coast. There is a lot of it off the coast of Great Britain and Australia. A cyanide bite is very painful and can lead to serious consequences, including death. A jellyfish can injure a person even when cut into pieces.

In the ocean you can find a strange organism called the Portuguese man-of-war. Its other name is dung fly. Actually, it is indirectly related to jellyfish. This is a collection of microorganisms that are enclosed in an air bubble, calmly floating on the surface of the water. That is why it was called a boat. It also has another name. Because of of blue color Australians call it "blue bottle".

Habitat halo Portuguese man-of-war includes all oceans. Despite its peaceful appearance, it is quite dangerous creature. Its bite is incredibly painful. It causes allergies, fever, heart failure, respiratory spasms, and sometimes death in humans.

But not only huge jellyfish can be dangerous to humans. The little Irukandji has a venom that is 100 times stronger than the venom of a cobra. Just imagine what will happen to a person bitten by this jellyfish. He develops convulsions, severe pain, vomiting, heart failure, and a feeling of doom. If you do not provide qualified medical care, then death cannot be avoided.

The jellyfish is very small, up to 5 millimeters in diameter. The tentacles are even smaller, up to a millimeter long. It belongs to the order of box jellyfish. This jellyfish was first discovered by the Australian Irukandji tribe. Hence the name.

The box jellyfish also includes the sea wasp. It got its name because of a certain resemblance to terrestrial insects. It is clear that it is not external, and boils down only to the ability to painfully sting a potential victim. Jellyfish is one of the most dangerous sea creatures. If you believe the statistics, more than five and a half thousand people died from its bites. In Asia, about a hundred people become victims of jellyfish every year.

The sea wasp has long tentacles, up to three meters long. Each of them contains half a million stinging cells. There is so much poison in a jellyfish that it would be enough to kill sixty people. The sting of a sea wasp is fatal. The person dies a few minutes later from cardiac arrest. At the same time, he experiences terrible pain.

Australian box jellyfish, orbox jellyfish, or "sea wasp" (Chironex fleckeri) - an extremely poisonous jellyfish of the Box jellyfish class ( Cubozoa), living off the coast of northern Australia. The name "box jellyfish" can be misleading because C. fleckeri this is only one of the known 19 species included in the class Cubozoa.

Representatives of C. fleckeri are the largest of the box jellyfish; their dome reaches the size of a basketball. They are pale blue in color and almost transparent. The latter circumstance creates an additional danger for swimmers due to the fact that the jellyfish can be extremely difficult to see. Jellyfish have four clusters of 15 tentacles extending from each of the four corners of the dome. When the jellyfish swims, the tentacles contract, reaching a length of 15 cm and a thickness of 5 mm; during hunting, the tentacles become thinner and stretch up to 3 meters in length. The tentacles are covered with many stinging cells containing deadly poison, which respond to pressure, as well as the action of chemical signals of a protein nature.

Millions of sting capsules "release" deadly venom through a penetrating thread into the skin of any creature that touches them.
can be found in coastal waters, streams, and rivers in northern Australia. The box jellyfish is distributed from the Queensland coast to east coast Australia to the Northern Territory, and around the northern coast of Western Australia. The sea wasp is the most common throughout the southern summer months from November to mid-March.

Like other box jellyfish, C. fleckeri There are 4 groups of photosensitive elements, including 24 eyes. Some appear to be capable of image formation, but it is debatable whether they can provide object recognition or tracking; It also remains unknown how information about tactile sensitivity and from light-sensitive structures is processed, since jellyfish do not have a central nervous system.

Eating C. fleckeri shrimps and small fish, and in turn serve as prey sea ​​turtles, these are the only creatures immune to their poison.
The box jellyfish invades coastal areas, rivers, and streams, especially during the wet Southern summer season, the sea wasp becomes a deadly threat to swimmers and fishermen in the area. On clear, calm days, translucent sea wasps can usually be seen and people have the opportunity to avoid encountering these dangerous animals. However, during wet season, coastal waterways often flooded with silt and mud, becoming cloudy and making it difficult for sea wasps to see, putting people's lives at risk.

The cause of numerous deaths among swimmers and bathers along the northern Queensland coast of Australia, and due to strong poison, secreted by the sea wasp, most children who were stung by this jellyfish died within minutes of being stung. The sting of a box jellyfish causes excruciating pain that quickly intensifies. Large brown or purple lines and welts quickly appear where the tentacles touch the skin, letting the victim know that they have been stung by a box jellyfish. The poison injected by the sea wasp causes death from cardiac shock and complete paralysis of the circulatory and respiratory systems. In some cases, even an adult can die within minutes. The venom cells also “attack” the victim’s red blood cells and severely damage the skin. An antidote has been developed by scientists, but it must be introduced into the human body very quickly.

There are two other jellyfish that can often be mistaken for a sea wasp - Carybdea alata Reynaud and Chiropsalmus quadrigatus Haeckel. Both of these marine animals are also known as sea wasps, but they are not as poisonous or as deadly.

Scientific classification:
Kingdom: Animals
Type: Cnidaria
Class: Cubozoa
Squad: Cubomedusae
Family: Chirodropidae
Genus: Chironex
View: C. fleckeri