Medusa cyanide description. The largest jellyfish in the world: photo

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Notes

Literature

• Illustrated atlas of invertebrates of the White Sea. Moscow: Association of Scientific Publications KMK. 2006.
• Mentioned in the short story The Lion's Mane by Arthur Conan Doyle ISBN 5-85735-005-0 (vol. 3)

An excerpt characterizing Hairy cyanoea

Anatole recently moved to Dolokhov. The plan for the kidnapping of Rostova had already been thought out and prepared by Dolokhov for several days, and on the day when Sonya, having overheard Natasha at the door, decided to protect her, this plan was to be carried out. Natasha promised to go out to Kuragin on the back porch at ten o'clock in the evening. Kuragin was supposed to put her in a prepared troika and take her 60 miles from Moscow to the village of Kamenka, where a trimmed priest was prepared, who was supposed to marry them. In Kamenka, a set-up was ready, which was supposed to take them to the Varshavskaya road, and there they were supposed to ride abroad on postage.
Anatole had a passport, and a traveler's, and ten thousand money taken from his sister, and ten thousand borrowed through Dolokhov.
Two witnesses—Khvostikov, the former clerk whom Dolokhov and Makarin used to play, a retired hussar, a good-natured and weak man who had boundless love for Kuragin—were sitting in the first room at tea.
In Dolokhov's large office, decorated from wall to ceiling with Persian carpets, bearskins and weapons, Dolokhov sat in a traveling beshmet and boots in front of an open bureau, on which lay bills and wads of money. Anatole, in his unbuttoned uniform, walked from the room where the witnesses were sitting, through the office to the back room, where his French footman and others were packing the last things. Dolokhov counted money and wrote it down.
“Well,” he said, “Khvostikov should be given two thousand.
- Well, let me, - said Anatole.
- Makarka (that's what they called Makarina), this one disinterestedly for you through fire and into water. Well, the scores are over, - said Dolokhov, showing him a note. - So?
“Yes, of course, that’s how it is,” said Anatole, apparently not listening to Dolokhov and with a smile that did not leave his face, looking ahead of himself.
Dolokhov slammed the bureau shut and turned to Anatole with a mocking smile.
- And you know what - drop it all: there is still time! - he said.
- Fool! Anatole said. - Stop talking nonsense. If you only knew... The devil knows what it is!
“Damn right,” said Dolokhov. - I'm talking to you. Is this a joke you're up to?
- Well, again, teasing again? Went to hell! Huh?... – Anatole said with a frown. “The right is not up to your stupid jokes. And he left the room.
Dolokhov smiled contemptuously and condescendingly when Anatole left.
“Wait a minute,” he said after Anatole, “I’m not joking, I’m talking business, come, come here.
Anatole again entered the room and, trying to concentrate his attention, looked at Dolokhov, obviously involuntarily submitting to him.
- You listen to me, I'm telling you the last time. What should I joke with you? Did I cross you? Who arranged everything for you, who found the priest, who took the passport, who got the money? All I.
- Well, thank you. Do you think I'm not grateful to you? Anatole sighed and hugged Dolokhov.
- I helped you, but still I have to tell you the truth: the matter is dangerous and, if you take it apart, stupid. Well, you'll take her away, okay. Will they leave it like that? It turns out that you are married. After all, you will be brought to criminal court ...
– Ah! stupidity, stupidity! - Anatole spoke again, grimacing. “Because I told you. BUT? - And Anatole, with that special predilection (which stupid people have) for the conclusion that they reach with their own mind, repeated the reasoning that he repeated a hundred times to Dolokhov. “After all, I explained to you, I decided: if this marriage is invalid,” he said, bending his finger, “then I do not answer; Well, if it's real, it doesn't matter: no one abroad will know this, right? And don't talk, don't talk, don't talk!
- Right, come on! You only bind yourself...
“Go to hell,” said Anatole, and, holding his hair, went out into another room and immediately returned and sat down with his feet on an armchair close to Dolokhov. “The devil knows what it is!” BUT? Look how it beats! - He took Dolokhov's hand and put it to his heart. - Ah! quel pied, mon cher, quel regard! Une deesse!! [ABOUT! What a leg, my friend, what a look! Goddess!!] Huh?
Dolokhov, smiling coldly and shining with his beautiful, insolent eyes, looked at him, apparently wanting to still have some fun with him.
- Well, the money will come out, then what?
- What then? BUT? - Anatole repeated with sincere bewilderment at the thought of the future. - What then? There I don’t know what… Well, what nonsense to say! He looked at his watch. - It's time!
Anatole went into the back room.
– Well, will you soon? Dig in here! he shouted at the servants.
Dolokhov took away the money and, shouting to a man to order food and drink for the road, entered the room where Khvostikov and Makarin were sitting.
Anatole was lying in the study, leaning on his arm, on the sofa, smiling thoughtfully and softly whispering something to himself with his beautiful mouth.

The largest jellyfish in the entire world's oceans, the Arctic cyanide (lat. Cyanea capillata) became widely known thanks to the story "The Lion's Mane" by Arthur Conan Doyle, which told about the painful death of one of the heroes caused by a meeting with the Arctic cyanide.

In fact, rumors about its mortal danger to humans are too exaggerated. Arctic cyanide not only cannot cause death, but is not even able to cause any serious damage to human health. The worst effects of contact with this jellyfish are an itchy rash and, in some cases, an allergic reaction. All this is successfully treated with compresses with vinegar.

However, arctic cyanideas are very interesting sea creatures. Let's start with the fact that cyanides live in extremely harsh climatic conditions. They can be found in the waters of the Arctic Ocean and in the northern regions of the Pacific Ocean during the coldest winter months. They rarely fall below forty-second degrees north latitude and are completely absent from the waters of the southern hemisphere.

Arctic cyanide can reach truly enormous sizes. These are not only the largest of all jellyfish, but also the largest animals in the world. The diameter of one of the jellyfish, found in 1870 off the coast of Massachusetts, exceeded two meters, and the length of the tentacles reached thirty-six meters. It is believed that the cyanide bell can grow up to two and a half meters in diameter, and the tentacles up to forty-five meters in length. This far exceeds the size of the blue whale, the largest animal on the planet.

The further north the Arctic cyanide lives, the larger it is. The most impressive sizes are jellyfish living in the coldest regions of the Arctic Ocean. As you approach warmer waters, the size of the Arctic cyanide decreases: the smallest jellyfish are found between the fortieth and forty-second degrees of northern latitude.

Usually the diameter of the bell of the Arctic cyanide does not exceed two and a half meters. The length of the tentacles of these arctic jellyfish also varies depending on the temperature of their habitat, and the color depends on the size. The largest specimens impress with rich raspberry-red tones, while the smaller specimens are characterized by pink, orange or light brown hues.

The body of the arctic cyanide is a bell with blades along the edges, shaped like a hemisphere. Long tentacles are attached to the inside of the blades, collected in eight bundles. Each such bundle grows from sixty to one hundred and thirty tentacles. In the center of the bell there is a mouth opening surrounded by long oral lobes, with the help of which the Arctic cyanide moves the caught prey towards the mouth connected to the stomach.

Like most jellyfish, the Arctic cyanide is a voracious predator that feeds on zooplankton, small fish and ctenophores. She does not deny herself the pleasure of feasting on her relatives, such as, for example, eared Aurelia. In turn, arctic cyanideas are desirable prey for seabirds, large fish, sea turtles and other jellyfish.

The largest species among jellyfish is cyanide. These jellyfish reach their largest sizes in the cold waters of the northern seas of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Therefore, they are also called giant arctic jellyfish.

The largest specimen is an arctic jellyfish washed ashore in Massachusetts Bay in 1870. The diameter of its dome was about 2.3 meters, and the length of the tentacles reached 36.5 meters. It turned out to be longer than the blue whale, which is considered the largest animal on the planet.

Now this jellyfish, but already smaller, can be found in the warmer waters of New Zealand and Australia. The "southern" specimens grow up to about 50 cm in dome diameter, while the "northern" specimens can reach 2 meters. The sticky thread-like tentacles of the jellyfish are collected in 8 groups, each of which contains from 65 to 150 tentacles.

The color of a jellyfish depends on its size. Small individuals have a flesh or pale orange color, and large ones are bright pink or purple.

On the tentacles, like most jellyfish, there are stinging cells with a strong poison. For a person, it does not pose a mortal danger, but a tentacle burn can be very painful. But the poison calmly kills small animals and fish. Over the entire period of its life, a giant Arctic jellyfish can eat about 15 thousand fish.

The process of their reproduction makes you break your head a little. These jellyfish reproduce both sexually and asexually, like polyps. Cyanea males eject sperm through their mouths. Then nimble spermatozoa penetrate into special chambers located in the oral lobes of females, where the eggs are fertilized and further developed.

After maturation, the larvae leave the capsules and go free swimming for several days. Along the way, they attach themselves to various corals and turn into solitary polyps, which then begin to feed intensively and increase in size. After maturation, the next stage of reproduction occurs - budding. The formation of jellyfish larvae begins. This is how small jellyfish are born, which then turn into giant arctic jellyfish.

Since September 2008, an invasion of giant jellyfish has been observed off the coast of the island of Honshu. They poisoned all the fish that came across in the net. As a result, Japanese fishermen suffered great financial losses.

It is no secret that each group of vertebrates (phylum, class, family, genus) has its own champions for certain achievements. Invertebrates do not lag behind them, because among them there are also those who can be envied! One such creature is the giant cyanide jellyfish.

Giant in the sea

The hairy cyanide is the largest jellyfish in the world. This is a real giant of the seas and oceans. Its full name is Cuanea arctica, which in Latin sounds like "jellyfish. This beautifully glowing pink-purple creature can be found in the high latitudes of the northern jellyfish. It is common in all northern seas flowing into the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. You can see it directly near shores, in the upper layers of water.Researchers who studied hairy cyanide initially looked for it in the Azov and Black Seas, but never found it.

Medusa cyanide. Impressive dimensions

According to the latest oceanographic studies, which are cited by members of the expedition of the so-called Cousteau team, the diameter of the gelatinous "body" (or dome) of cyanide can reach 2.5 m. But what's more! The pride of the hairy arctic jellyfish is its tentacles. The length of these processes ranges from 26 to 42 m! Scientists have come to the conclusion that the size of these jellyfish depends entirely on the conditions of their habitat. According to statistics, it is precisely the individuals that inhabit the coldest oceanic waters that have huge sizes.

External structure

The hairy jellyfish cyanide has a rather diverse coloration of its body. It is dominated by brown, purple and red tones. When the jellyfish becomes an adult, its dome ("body") begins to distinctly turn yellow on top, and its edges turn red. The tentacles located along the edges of the dome have a purple-pink hue, and the oral lobes are red-crimson. It is because of the long tentacles that the cyanide was called the hairy (or hairy) jellyfish. The dome itself, or bell, of the Arctic cyanide has a hemispherical structure. Its edges smoothly pass into 16 blades, which, in turn, are separated from each other by specific cutouts.

Lifestyle

These creatures spend the lion's share of their numerous time in the so-called free swimming - they hover on the surfaces of sea waters, periodically reducing their gelatinous dome and flapping their extreme blades. Hairy cyanide is a predator, and a very active one. It feeds on plankton floating in the surface layers of water, crustaceans and small fish. In especially “hungry years”, when there is literally nothing to eat, cyanide can starve for a long time. But in some cases, these creatures become cannibals, devouring their own relatives.

Members of Cousteau's team describe in their research the method of hunting that the jellyfish uses. Hairy cyanide rises to the surface of the water, spreading its long tentacles in different directions. She is waiting for her prey. The researchers noticed that in this state, cyanide very much resembles. It is worth the victim to swim closer to such “algae” and touch them, as a jellyfish immediately wraps them around their prey, releasing it with the help of the so-called poison that can paralyze. As soon as the prey ceases to show signs of life, the jellyfish eats it. The poison of this gelatinous giant is quite strong and is produced along the entire length of the tentacles.

reproduction

This creature reproduces in a very unusual way. The male ejects his sperm through the mouth into the female's mouth. As a matter of fact, that's all. It is in the mouth of the female jellyfish that the formation of embryos occurs. When the "babies" grow up, they will come out in the form of larvae. These larvae, in turn, will attach to the substrate, turning into a single polyp. After a few months, the grown polyp will begin to multiply, after which the larvae of future jellyfish will appear.

Until now, the largest Arctic cyanide caught, officially registered in documents, is a creation thrown out in 1870 on the coast of a bay in the American. The diameter of the dome of this giant was 2.3 m, and the length of the tentacles was 36.5 m. it is known about the existence of specimens with a gelatinous body diameter of up to 2.5 m and a tentacle length of 42 m. Such jellyfish were recorded using a scientific underwater bathyscaphe as part of oceanological expeditions, but so far no one has managed to catch at least one such individual.

The cyanide jellyfish is known among divers for its painful burn. Officially, the world's largest jellyfish is considered dangerous to humans. But in fact, only one death was recorded. As a rule, such a burn leaves a local reddening on the skin of a person, which disappears for some time. Sometimes rashes appear on the body, accompanied by painful sensations. And all because the giant's venom contains toxins that can cause an allergic reaction. However, if you've been stung by the giant cyanide jellyfish, it's a good idea to see a doctor.

In this article, we will introduce you to the largest representative of the jellyfish family - the lion's mane jellyfish or, as it is also called, the giant arctic jellyfish.

Some representatives of this species have a bell size of almost two meters. The habitat of these creatures is the cool waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, in addition, it can be found in the Baltic and North seas. A lot of giant arctic jellyfish have chosen the east coast of Great Britain as their habitat.

The body of the lion's mane jellyfish is 94 percent water. She has a bell, consisting of two layers of fabric, hemispherical in shape, the edges of which are curly. In addition, the bell is divided into parts, there are eight of them in total. There are recesses at the base of each lobe. In these lobes are the sense organs of the jellyfish. These are the sense of smell and light receptors.

As a rule, the diameter of the bell is from 30 to 80 cm, but there were individual individuals whose bell diameter reached 180 cm.

The color of the bell can be different, for example, pink, red-gold or brown-purple. At the bottom of the umbrella is the mouth of a jellyfish, surrounded around the perimeter by a fringe of small tentacles. In addition, the giant arctic jellyfish has eight groups of tentacles, each of which has 150 of them. They contain highly effective nematocysts. The largest representatives of this species have tentacles up to 20 meters long.

The lion's mane jellyfish has both male and female specimens. In both those and others, a kind of bag is located on the wall of the stomach, which contains, depending on the sex of the individual, spermatozoa or eggs. When the spermatozoa mature, they are released into the water through the male's mouth, and then in the same way - through the mouth - they enter the body of the female and fertilize the egg.

Until the larvae hatch, the development of the eggs takes place in the tentacles of the female. After the larvae hatch, they settle to the bottom, where their further development takes place, the next stage of which are polyps. In the process of their growth, small appendages are separated from them, from which, in the end, jellyfish grow, which, in turn, repeat this entire cycle.

Giant arctic jellyfish are not at rest for a minute, they are constantly moving, while they can reach a decent speed of several kilometers per hour, which allows them to travel long distances. In addition, sea currents help them navigate the expanses of water. There have been cases of a large accumulation of this species of jellyfish in the North Sea and off the coast of Norway.