Rare jellyfish. Sea jellyfish
Medusa cannonball
The cannonball jellyfish lives along the east coast of the United States to Brazil. It got its name because unusual shape perfectly smooth and round, like a cannonball. In Asian countries, these jellyfish are widely used in folk medicine. It is believed that they can cure lung disease, arthritis, and lower blood pressure.
Olindias formosa
This rare view jellyfish are found off the coast of Brazil, Argentina, and Japan. A characteristic feature of these jellyfish is that they hang on great depth. When the jellyfish is in this state, its tentacles are concentrated under the cap. Due to their small numbers, this species does not pose a danger to people, but we should not forget that they can leave very severe burns.
Portuguese man of war
This amazing creature differs from all jellyfish in that it consists of many medusoid individuals. It has a gas bubble that floats on the surface of the water, allowing it to absorb air. Tentacles Portuguese man-of-war when extended they can reach 50 meters.
Purple striped jellyfish
This type of jellyfish can be found in Monterrey Bay. They are not yet well studied. This jellyfish has quite big sizes and can cause serious burns to humans. Stripes and rich colors appear in jellyfish as they age. Along the way warm currents The jellyfish may also migrate to the shores of Southern California. This was especially noticeable in 2012, when 130 people received burns from jellyfish (black sea nettle and purple striped one).
Mediterranean or jellyfish fried egg
This amazing creature really resembles a fried egg, or poached egg. Jellyfish live in the Mediterranean, Adriatic and Aegean Seas. Its important feature is that it can move independently without relying on waves.
Darth Vader or Narcomedusa
This type of jellyfish was discovered in the Arctic. This happened quite recently. In addition to such an interesting and at the same time terrifying appearance, the jellyfish has 4 tentacles and 12 stomach pouches. While swimming, the tentacles are extended forward to better reach their prey.
blue jellyfish
The blue jellyfish has very stinging tentacles. It has been discovered off the coast of Scotland, in the North Sea and in the Irish Sea. The average transverse diameter of this jellyfish is 15 centimeters. Color varies from dark blue to bright blue.
Porpit porpit
It's not really a jellyfish. This creature is more commonly known as the blue button. The porpet lives on the surface of the ocean and consists of two parts: a hard golden-brown float and hydroid colonies, which in appearance are very similar to the tentacles of a jellyfish. Porpita can easily be confused with a jellyfish.
Scientists do not give a definite answer to the question of how long jellyfish live. Many agree that the life cycle of these animals is short and the life expectancy of most species is from two to six months.
Recently, zoologists discovered that among representatives of this species there are specimens that never die and are always reborn. That is why the Turitopsis Nutricula jellyfish is considered to be the only immortal creature on the planet.
Who are jellyfish
When zoologists talk about jellyfish, they usually mean all mobile forms of coelenterate cnidarians (a group of multicellular invertebrate representatives of the animal world) that catch and kill their victims with the help of tentacles.
These amazing animals live only in salt water, and therefore they can be found in all oceans and seas of our planet (except internal ones), sometimes in closed lagoons or lakes with salt water on coral islands. Among the representatives of this class there are both heat-loving animals and those that prefer cold waters, species that live only near the surface of the water, and those that live only on the bottom of the ocean.
Jellyfish are solitary animals, since they do not communicate with each other in any way, even if currents bring them together, thus forming a colony.
We got ours modern name these creatures in mid-18th century century thanks to Karl Lineus, who hinted at the mythical head of the Gorgon Medusa, the resemblance to which he noticed in these representatives of the animal world. This name is not without reason, since these animals are similar to it.
This amazing animal consists of 98% water, and therefore has a transparent body with a slight tint, which in appearance resembles a jelly-like bell, umbrella or disk that moves by contracting the muscles of the bell wall.
Along the edges of the body there are tentacles, the appearance of which directly depends on what species it belongs to: in some they are short and thick, in others they are long and thin. Their number can vary from four to several hundred (but always a multiple of four, since representatives of this class of animals are characterized by radial symmetry).
These tentacles consist of string cells that contain poison and are therefore directly intended for hunting. It is interesting that even after death, jellyfish are able to sting for another fortnight. Some species can be deadly even to humans. For example, the animal known as the “Sea Wasp” is considered the most dangerous poisonous animal in the world’s oceans: scientists claim that its poison is enough to poison sixty people in a few minutes.
The outer part of the body is smooth and convex, while the lower part resembles a bag. In the center of the lower part there is a mouth: in some jellyfish it looks like a tube, in others it is short and wide, in others it resembles short clubs. This hole also serves to remove food debris.
These animals grow throughout their lives, and their size largely depends on the species: among them there are very small ones, no more than a few millimeters, and there are also huge ones, the body size of which exceeds two meters, and together with the tentacles - all thirty ( for example, the most large jellyfish world ocean, Cyanea, which lives in the North-West Atlantic, has a body size of more than 2 m, and with tentacles - almost forty).
Despite the fact that these marine animals lack brains and sensory organs, they have light-sensitive cells that act as eyes, thanks to which these organisms are able to distinguish darkness from light (they, however, are not able to see objects). Interestingly, some specimens glow in the dark, with species living at great depths having a red light, and those living closer to the surface having a blue light.
Since these animals are primitive organisms, they consist of only two layers, connected thanks to a special adhesive substance - mesoglia:
- external (ectoderm) - a kind of analogue of skin and muscles. The rudiments are also located here nervous systems s and germ cells;
- internal (endoderm) - performs only one function: digests food.
Methods of transportation
Since all representatives of this class (even the largest individuals, whose weight exceeds several centners) are almost unable to resist sea currents, scientists consider jellyfish as representatives of plankton.
Most species water flows They still do not give in completely and, although slowly, they move, using the current and the thin muscle fibers of their body: contracting, they fold the body of the jellyfish like an umbrella - and the water that is in the lower part of the animal is sharply pushed out.
As a result, a strong jet is formed, pushing the animal forward. Therefore these sea creatures always move in the direction opposite to the mouth. They are helped to determine where exactly they need to move by the balance organs located on the tentacles.
Regeneration
One more interesting feature of these creatures is their ability to restore lost parts of the body - absolutely all the cells of these animals are interchangeable: even if this animal is divided into parts, it will restore them, forming two new individuals! If you do this with an adult jellyfish, an adult copy will appear; from a jellyfish larva, a larva will appear.
Reproduction
Looking at these amazing translucent creatures, many ask themselves the question of how jellyfish reproduce. Reproduction of jellyfish is an interesting and unusual process.
Answering the question of how jellyfish reproduce, it is worth noting that in this case, it is possible both sexually (they are heterosexual) and vegetative propagation. The first involves several stages:
- In these animals, the sex cells mature in the gonads;
- After the eggs and sperm mature, they come out through the mouth and are fertilized, resulting in the appearance of a jellyfish larva - a planula;
- After some time, the planula settles to the bottom and attaches itself to something, after which a polyp appears on the basis of the planula, which reproduces by budding: on it, layering on top of each other, daughter organisms are formed;
- After some time, they peel off and float away, revealing themselves as a newly born jellyfish.
The reproduction of some species differs somewhat from this pattern. For example, the pelagic jellyfish does not have a polyp stage at all - the cubs appear directly from the larva. But bougainvillea jellyfish can be said to be born, since polyps are formed directly in the gonads, without separating from the adults, without any intermediate stages.
Nutrition
These amazing animals are the most numerous predators on our planet. They feed mainly on plankton: fry, small crustaceans, and fish eggs. Larger specimens often catch small fish and smaller relatives.
Thus, jellyfish see almost nothing and do not have any sense organs; they hunt with the help of scratching tentacles, which, having sensed the touch of edible food on them, instantly inject poison into it, which paralyzes the victim, after which the jellyfish eats it. There are two more options for catching food (much depends on the type of jellyfish): the first is that the prey sticks to the tentacles, the second is that it gets entangled in them.
Classification
There are the following types of jellyfish, differing from each other in structure.
Hydromedusa
Hydroid jellyfish are transparent, small in size (from 1 mm to 3 cm), four tentacles and a long tube-shaped mouth are attached to the body. Among prominent representatives hydromedusa - jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula: the only creature discovered by people about which scientists have declared that it is immortal.
Having reached maturity, it sinks to the bottom of the sea, transforming into a polyp, on which new formations are formed, from which new jellyfish subsequently arise.
This process is repeated more than once, which means that it is constantly reborn, and can die only if it is eaten by some predator. These are the interesting facts about jellyfish that scientists recently told the world.
Scyphojellyfish
Scyphoid jellyfish have a more complex structure compared to hydromedusae: they are larger than representatives of other species - the most big jellyfish in the world, the Cyanea jellyfish belongs to this class. This giant jellyfish At about 37 meters long, it is one of the longest animals on Earth. Therefore, she eats a lot: during her life, the largest jellyfish eats about 15 thousand fish.
Scyphojellyfish have a more developed nervous and muscular system, a mouth surrounded by a huge number of stinging and tactile cells, and the stomach is divided into chambers.
Like all jellyfish, these animals are predators, but deep-sea ones also feed on dead organisms. The touch of a scyphoid jellyfish to a person is quite painful (the feeling as if bitten by a wasp), and a mark resembling a burn often remains at the point of contact. Its bite can also cause allergic reaction or even painful shock. Having seen this animal, it is advisable not to take risks and, when swimming past, not to touch it.
One of the most striking specimens of this species, in addition to the Cyanea jellyfish, is also the Aurelia jellyfish (the most typical representative) and the Golden Jellyfish, an animal that can only be seen in the Rocky Islands archipelago in Palau.
The golden jellyfish is notable for the fact that, unlike its relatives, who live only in the seas, it lives in Jellyfish Lake, which is connected to the ocean by underground tunnels and is filled with slightly salted water. Representatives of this species also differ from marine individuals in that they completely lack dark spots, there are no stinging tentacles, as well as tentacles that surround the mouth.
Although the golden jellyfish is a scyphojellyfish, over many years it has turned into a completely different species that does not pose a danger to humans, since it has significantly lost its stinging ability. An interesting fact is that the Golden Jellyfish began to grow on its body green algae, from which it receives part of its nutrition. The Golden Jellyfish, like its marine relatives, feeds on plankton and has not lost the ability to migrate - in the morning it swims away to East Coast, in the evening - sails to the west.
Box jellyfish
Box jellyfish have a more advanced nervous system compared to other representatives of the cnidarian class. They are the fastest of all jellyfish (able to reach speeds of up to 6 m/min) and can easily change the direction of their movement. They are also the most dangerous representatives jellyfish for humans: the bites of some representatives of box jellyfish can be fatal.
The most poisonous jellyfish in the world belongs to just this species, lives near the Australian coast and is called the Box Jellyfish or Sea Wasp: its poison can kill a person in just a few minutes. This wasp is almost transparent, of a pale blue hue, which is why it is difficult to notice on the water, which means it is easier to stumble upon it.
The Sea Wasp is the largest jellyfish in its class - its body is the size of a basketball. When a sea wasp simply swims, its tentacles are reduced to 15 cm in length and are almost invisible. But when the animal hunts, they stretch up to three meters. Sea Wasps feed mainly on shrimp and small fish, and they themselves are caught and eaten by sea turtles - the only animals on our planet that are insensitive to the poison of one of the most dangerous creatures on the ground.
Since ancient times, people have known strange shapeless sea animals, to which they gave the name “jellyfish” by analogy with the mythological ancient Greek goddess Medusa Gorgon. The hair of this goddess was a moving tuft of snakes. The ancient Greeks found similarities between the evil goddess and sea jellyfish with poisonous tentacles.
The habitat of jellyfish is all the salty seas of the World Ocean. Only one is known freshwater species these sea creatures. Each species occupies a habitat limited to one body of water and will never be found in another sea or ocean. Jellyfish are either cold-water or heat-loving; deep-sea and those that stay near the surface.
However, such species swim near the surface only at night, and during the day they dive into the depths in search of food. The horizontal movement of jellyfish is passive in nature - they are simply carried by the current, sometimes over long distances. Due to their primitiveness, jellyfish do not contact each other in any way; they are solitary animals. Large concentrations of jellyfish are explained by the fact that the current brings them to places rich in food.
Due to the highly developed colorless mesoglea, the body of the “flower cap” jellyfish (Olindias formosa) looks almost transparent Types of jellyfish
More than 200 species of jellyfish are known in nature. Despite the primitiveness of the structure, they are very diverse. Their sizes range from 1 to 200 cm in diameter. The largest jellyfish is the lion's mane (cyanea). Some of its specimens can weigh up to 1 ton and have tentacles up to 35 m long.
Jellyfish are shaped like a disk, an umbrella, or a dome. Most jellyfish have a transparent body, sometimes with bluish, milky, or yellowish tints. But not all species are so inconspicuous; among them there are truly beautiful, bright colors: red, pink, yellow, purple, speckled and striped. There are no green jellyfish in nature.
Species such as Equorea, Pelagia nocturna, and Rathkea can glow in the dark, causing a phenomenon called bioluminescence. Deep-sea jellyfish emit red light, while those floating near the surface emit blue light. Eat special kind jellyfish (staurojellyfish), which hardly move. They are attached to the ground with a long leg.
The structure of jellyfish
The internal structure and physiology of jellyfish are uniform and primitive. They have one main hallmark– radial symmetry of organs, the number of which is always a multiple of 4. For example, a jellyfish umbrella can have 8 blades. The body of a jellyfish does not have a skeleton; it consists of 98% water. When thrown ashore, the jellyfish is unable to move and dries up instantly. Its consistency is similar to jelly, which is why the British called it “jelly fish.”
Body tissues have only two layers, which are connected to each other by an adhesive substance and perform different functions. The cells of the outer layer (ectoderm) are “responsible” for movement, reproduction, and are analogues of skin and nerve endings. The cells of the inner layer (endoderm) only digest food.
The outer part of the body of jellyfish is smooth, mostly convex, the inner (lower) shape resembles a bag. The mouth is located at the bottom of the dome. It is located in the middle and is very different in structure from different types jellyfish The umbrella is surrounded by hunting tentacles, which, depending on the species, can be either thick and short or thin, thread-like, and long.
What do jellyfish eat?
Jellyfish are predators; they consume only animal food (crustaceans, fry, small fish, caviar). They are blind and have no senses. Jellyfish hunt passively, catching with their tentacles the edibles that the current brings. The hunting tentacles kill the prey. This is done different ways.
This is the largest jellyfish in the world - the cyanea, or lion's mane (Cyanea capillata), its long tentacles can reach 35 m in length! Some types of jellyfish inject poison into the prey, others glue the prey to the tentacles, and others have sticky threads in which it becomes entangled. The tentacles push the paralyzed victim towards the mouth, through which undigested remains are then expelled. Interestingly, jellyfish living in the depths attract prey with their bright glow.
How do jellyfish reproduce?
Jellyfish have vegetative (asexual) and sexual reproduction. Externally, males are no different from females. Sperm and eggs are released through the mouth into the water, where fertilization occurs. After this, the larva (planula) develops. The larvae are not able to feed, they settle to the bottom and a polyp is formed from them. This polyp can reproduce by budding. Gradually, the upper parts of the polyp separate and float away; these are actually young jellyfish that will grow and develop.
Some species of jellyfish do not have a polyp stage. Young individuals are immediately formed from the planula. There are also species in which polyps are formed in the gonads, from which small jellyfish are born. Each egg cell in jellyfish produces several individuals.
Vitality of jellyfish
Although jellyfish do not live long - from several months to 2-3 years, their numbers are restored very quickly even after various disasters. Their reproduction rate is very high. Jellyfish quickly restore lost body parts. Even if they are cut in half, two new individuals are formed from the halves.
Interestingly, if such an operation is performed in at different ages jellyfish, then an individual of the corresponding developmental stage grows from the tissues. If you divide the larva, then two larvae will grow, and from the adult parts - jellyfish of the appropriate age.
Jellyfish swimming upside down Jellyfish and people
Some types of jellyfish pose a danger to humans. They can be roughly divided into two groups. Some cause allergies, while the venom of others affects the nervous system and can cause serious problems in the functioning of the muscles and heart, and in some cases, death.
To avoid putting yourself in danger, you should avoid touching jellyfish, both living and dead. In case of a burn, you should wash the injured area with water, or better yet, a vinegar solution. If the pain does not subside and there are complications, you should immediately call a doctor.
Jellyfish can rightfully be called one of the most mysterious inhabitants of the depths of the sea, causing interest and a certain fear. Who are they, where did they come from, what varieties are there in the world, what is their life cycle, are they as dangerous as popular rumor says - I want to know about all this for sure.
Jellyfish appeared more than 650 million years ago, making them one of the oldest organisms on Earth.
About 95% of the jellyfish's body is water, which is also their habitat. Most jellyfish live in salt water, although there are species that prefer fresh water. Jellyfish - phase life cycle representatives of the genus Medusozoa, "sea jelly" alternates with a nonmotile asexual phase of nonmotile polyps, from which they are formed by budding after maturation.
The name was introduced in the 18th century by Carl Linnaeus, who saw in these strange organisms a certain resemblance to the mythical Gorgon Medusa, due to the presence of tentacles that flutter like hair. With their help, the jellyfish catches small organisms that serve as food for it. The tentacles may look like long or short, pointed threads, but they are all equipped with stinging cells that stun prey and make hunting easier.
Life cycle of scyphoids: 1-11 - asexual generation (polyp); 11-14 - sexual generation (jellyfish).
Glowing jellyfish
The one who saw it glow on a dark night sea water, he is unlikely to be able to forget this spectacle: myriads of lights illuminate deep sea, shimmer like diamonds. The reason for this amazing phenomenon The smallest planktonic organisms, including jellyfish, serve. The phosphoric jellyfish is considered one of the most beautiful. It is not found very often, living in the benthic zone near the coasts of Japan, Brazil, and Argentina.
The diameter of the luminous jellyfish umbrella can reach 15 centimeters. Living in the dark depths, jellyfish are forced to adapt to conditions, provide themselves with food, so as not to disappear altogether as a species. An interesting fact is that the bodies of jellyfish do not have muscle fibers and cannot resist water flows.
Since the slow jellyfish, swimming at the will of the current, cannot keep up with mobile crustaceans, small fish or other planktonic inhabitants, they have to use a trick and force them to swim up to the predatory mouth opening. And the best bait in the darkness of the bottom space is light.
The body of a luminous jellyfish contains a pigment - luciferin, which is oxidized under the influence of a special enzyme - luciferase. The bright light attracts victims like moths to a candle flame.
Some species of luminous jellyfish, such as Rathkeya, Equorea, Pelagia, live near the surface of the water, and, gathering in large quantities, they literally make the sea burn. Amazing ability emitting light interested scientists. Phosphors have been successfully isolated from the genome of jellyfish and introduced into the genomes of other animals. The results turned out to be quite unusual: for example, mice whose genotype was changed in this way began to grow green hairs.
Poisonous jellyfish - Sea Wasp
Today, more than three thousand jellyfish are known, and many of them are far from harmless to humans. All types of jellyfish have stinging cells “charged” with poison. They help to paralyze the victim and deal with him without any problems. Without exaggeration, for divers, swimmers, and fishermen, a jellyfish called the Sea Wasp is represented. The main habitat of such jellyfish is warm tropical waters, there are especially many of them off the coast of Australia and Oceania.
Transparent bodies of pale blue color are invisible in warm water quiet sandy bays. The small size, namely, up to forty centimeters in diameter, is also not attractive special attention. Meanwhile, the poison of one individual is enough to send about fifty people to heaven. Unlike their phosphorescent counterparts, sea wasps can change direction of movement, easily finding careless swimmers. The poison that enters the victim’s body causes paralysis of smooth muscles, including the respiratory tract. Being in shallow water, a person has a small chance of being saved, but even if health care was provided in a timely manner and the person did not die from suffocation; deep ulcers form in the places of the “bites”, causing severe pain and do not heal for many days.
Dangerous little ones - Irukandji jellyfish
Tiny Irukandji jellyfish, described by Australian Jack Barnes in 1964, have a similar effect on the human body, with the only difference being that the degree of damage is not so deep. He, as a true scientist who stands up for science, experienced the effect of poison not only on himself, but also on his own son. Symptoms of poisoning - severe headache and muscle pain, cramps, nausea, drowsiness, loss of consciousness - are not fatal in themselves, but the main risk is a sharp increase in blood pressure in a person who has personally met Irukandji. If the victim has problems with cardiovascular system, then the probability of death is quite high. The size of this baby is about 4 centimeters in diameter, but its thin spindle-shaped tentacles reach 30-35 centimeters in length.
Bright beauty - Physalia jellyfish
Another very dangerous inhabitant of tropical waters for humans is Physalia - the Sea Boat. Her umbrella is colored bright colors: blue, violet, purple and floats on the surface of the water, so it is visible from afar. Entire colonies of attractive sea “flowers” attract gullible tourists, beckoning them to pick them up as quickly as possible. This is where the main danger lurks: long, up to several meters, tentacles, equipped with a huge number of stinging cells, are hidden under the water. The poison acts very quickly, causing severe burns, paralysis and disruption of the cardiovascular, respiratory and central nervous systems. If the meeting took place at great depth or simply far from the shore, then its outcome could be the saddest.
Giant Jellyfish Nomura - Lion's Mane
A real giant is the Nomura Bell, which is also called the Lion's Mane for some reason. external resemblance with the king of beasts. The diameter of the dome can reach two meters, and the weight of such a “baby” reaches two hundred kilos. Lives on Far East, in the coastal waters of Japan, off the coast of Korea and China.
A huge hairy ball, falling into fishing nets, damages them, causing damage to fishermen and striking them themselves when they try to free themselves. Even if their venom is not fatal to humans, meetings with the “Lion’s Mane” rarely take place in a friendly atmosphere.
Cyanea is considered one of the largest jellyfish. Living in cold waters, it reaches largest sizes. The most gigantic specimen was discovered and described by scientists at the end of the 19th century in North America: its dome was 230 centimeters in diameter, and the length of the tentacles turned out to be 36.5 meters. There are a lot of tentacles, they are collected in eight groups, each of which has from 60 to 150 pieces. It is characteristic that the dome of the jellyfish is divided into eight segments, representing a kind of octagonal star. Fortunately, they do not live in the Azov and Black Seas, so you don’t have to worry about them when going to the sea to relax.
Depending on the size, the color also changes: large specimens are painted bright purple or purple, smaller ones - in orange, pink or beige. Cyaneans live in surface waters, rarely descending into the depths. The poison is not dangerous to humans, causing only an unpleasant burning sensation and blisters on the skin.
Using jellyfish in cooking
The number of jellyfish living in the seas and oceans Globe truly enormous, and not a single species is in danger of extinction. Their use is limited by mining capabilities, but people have long been using beneficial features jellyfish for medicinal purposes and enjoy them taste qualities in cooking. In Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries, jellyfish have long been eaten, calling them “crystal meat”. Its benefits are due to the high content of protein, albumin, vitamins and amino acids, and microelements. And when properly prepared, it has a very refined taste.
Jellyfish “meat” is added to salads and desserts, sushi and rolls, soups and main courses. In a world where population growth is steadily threatening the onset of famine, especially in underdeveloped countries, protein from jellyfish can be a good help in solving this issue.
Jellyfish in medicine
The use of jellyfish for the manufacture of medicines is typical, to a greater extent, in those countries where their use as food has long ceased to be a subject of surprise. For the most part, these are countries located in coastal areas where jellyfish are directly harvested.
In medicine, preparations containing processed jellyfish bodies are used to treat infertility, obesity, baldness and gray hair. The poison extracted from stinging cells helps to cope with diseases of the ENT organs and normalize blood pressure.
Modern scientists are struggling to find medicine capable of winning cancerous tumors, without excluding the possibility that jellyfish will also help in this difficult fight.
Jellyfish are amazing and very extraordinary creatures, evoking a whole range of emotions from delight and admiration to disgust and fear. Jellyfish can be found in every sea, in every ocean, on the surface of the water or at a depth of many kilometers.
Jellyfish are the oldest animals on the planet, their history goes back at least 650 million years. In nature there is an incredible amount various types, but even now the emergence of new ones, previously unknown to humanity, is being recorded.
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Jellyfish washed up on the sand of Belmedie beach, Scotland
In fact, jellyfish or the medusoid generation are one of the phases of the life cycle of the cnidarians Medusozoa, which are usually divided into three species: hydroid, scyphoid and box jellyfish. Jellyfish reproduce sexually. There are males who produce sperm and females who produce eggs. As a result of their fusion, the so-called planula is formed - a jellyfish larva. The planula settles to the bottom, where over time it turns into a polyp (asexual generation of jellyfish). Having reached full maturity, the polyp begins to bud off a young generation of jellyfish, often completely different from the adults. In scyphoid jellyfish, the newly separated specimen is called ether.
The body of jellyfish is a jelly-like dome, which, through contractions, allows them to move in the water column. Tentacles equipped with stinging cells (cnidocytes) with a burning poison are designed for hunting and capturing prey.
Jellyfish at Shark Bay Manaday Reef Aquarium in Las Vegas, Nevada
The term "jellyfish" was first used by Carl Linnaeus in 1752, as an allusion to the animal's resemblance to the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Becoming popular around 1796, the name began to be used to identify other medusoid species of animals, such as ctenophores.
Jellyfish on display in Long Beach, California
Did you know? 10 interesting facts about jellyfish:
The world's largest jellyfish can reach 2.5 meters in diameter and have tentacles more than 40 meters long.
Jellyfish are capable of reproducing both sexually and by budding and fission.
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The Australian wasp jellyfish is the most dangerous poisonous animal in the world's oceans. The venom of a sea wasp is enough to kill 60 people.
Even after the death of a jellyfish, its tentacles can sting for more than two weeks.
Jellyfish do not stop growing throughout their lives.
Large concentrations of jellyfish are called “swarms” or “blooms.”
Some types of jellyfish are eaten in East Asia, considering them a “delicacy”.
Jellyfish don't have a brain respiratory system, circulatory, nervous and excretory systems.
The rainy season significantly reduces the number of jellyfish living in salt water bodies.
Some female jellyfish can produce up to 45,000 larvae (planulae) per day.
The most incredible and bizarre shapes
Aequorea Victoria or crystal jellyfish
Elegant dance of jellyfish
Aurelia - “butterflies”
Long-eared aurelia (lat. Aurelia aurita) - a species of scyphoid from the order of disc jellyfish (Semaeostomeae)
glowing ctenophore
The pink jellyfish from the Scyphozoan family was discovered quite recently, just over 10 years ago, in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Some individuals of this species reach 70 cm in diameter. Pink jellyfish can cause serious and painful burns, especially if a swimmer inadvertently ends up among a large concentration of these creatures.
Antarctic Diplulmaris
Antarctic Diplulmaris is one of the species of jellyfish of the family Ulmaridae. This jellyfish was recently discovered in Antarctica, in the waters continental shelf. The Antarctic Diplulmaris is only 4 cm in diameter.
Aurelia aurita or moon jellyfish
Pacific sea nettle (Chrysaora fuscescens)
Flower cap jellyfish (Olindias formosa)
Flower cap jellyfish (lat. Olindias Formosa) is one of the species of hydroid jellyfish from the order Limnomedusae. Basically, these cute creatures live in south coast Japan. Feature– motionless hovering near the bottom in shallow water. The diameter of the “flower cap” usually does not exceed 7.5 cm. The tentacles of the jellyfish are located not only along the edge of the dome, but also over its entire surface, which is not at all typical for other species.
A flower cap burn is not fatal, but is quite painful and can lead to severe allergic reactions.
Scyphoid jellyfish rhizostoma (Rhizostoma pulmo) or cornet
Incredible bioluminescent jellyfish
Jellyfish - an inhabitant of the coast of the Federated States of Micronesia
Purple-banded jellyfish (Chrysaora colorata)
The purple-striped jellyfish (lat. Chrysaora Colorata) from the class Scyphozoa is found only near the coast of California. This rather large jellyfish reaches 70 cm in diameter, the length of the tentacles is about 5 meters. A characteristic feature is the striped pattern on the dome. In adults it has a bright purple color, in juveniles it is pink. Purple-striped jellyfish usually live alone or in small groups, unlike most other species of jellyfish, which often form huge colonies. The Chrysaora Colorata burn is quite painful, but not fatal to humans.
Pelagia Noctiluca, known in Europe as "lilac sting"
Giant Nomura jellyfish (Nemopilema nomurai)
Giant Nomura jellyfish (lat. Nemopilema nomurai) is a species of scyphoid jellyfish from the order Cornerotae. This species predominantly inhabits the East China and Yellow Seas. The size of individuals of this species is truly impressive! They can reach 2 meters in diameter and weigh about 200 kg.
The name of the species was given in honor of Mr. Kan'ichi Nomura, director general of fisheries in Fukui Prefecture. In early 1921, Mr. Nomura first collected and studied a previously unknown species of jellyfish.
Currently, the number of Nomura jellyfish in the world is growing. Possible reasons population growth, scientists believe climate change, overexploitation water resources and pollution environment.
In 2009, a 10-ton fishing trawler capsized in Tokyo Bay with three crew members trying to remove nets overflowing with dozens of Nomura jellyfish.
Great red jellyfish (Tiburonia granrojo)
