JellyFish - Jellyfish | Unravelling the Mystery of Three Species

Incredible Facts About Three Jellyfish Species

During beach season, reports of a jellyfish sting spread like wildfire. While these invertebrates are frightening, they are also poorly understood and fascinating. Jellyfish have been around for millions of years, even before dinosaurs took over the world. Some are clear, others have vibrant colours of purple, blue, yellow and pink. Jellyfish are also bioluminescent, which means they can produce light. The sea creature does not have eyes, bones, heart, or brain. But they have a mouth at the centre of the body. It is the same opening for eating and discarding waste.

The jellyfish also uses the mouth to squirt a jet of water to propel it forward. Food comprises tiny plants, crabs, shrimp, and fish. They have to digest the food fast or they would not float in water. The jellyfish is also a tasty meal for creatures such as sea turtles and a delicacy in countries such as China. Now to more facts about three outstanding jellyfish species.

The Australian Box Jellyfish is the Most Venomous Sea Animal

It does not look dangerous, but a single sting from a box jellyfish is enough to send you to a watery grave. The creature has a box body shape and tentacles that have nematocysts – darts with poison. These darts cause cardiac arrest, paralysis, and even death within a few minutes of stinging.

There are about 50 box jellyfish species, and only a few have a toxin that is fatal to humans. We find the lethal variety in northern Australia and the Indo-Pacific region. Box jellyfish have clusters of eyes on each side of the box and can control their direction while swimming. Their ability to see and achieve high swimming speeds helps them when they are hunting their prey, mainly small fish and shrimp.

Turritopsis Dohrnii Might be an Immortal Jellyfish

A fully grown Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish is only 4.5 mm wide, which is smaller than the pinky nail. It has a bright-red stomach that is visible in the middle of a transparent belly and up to 90 white tentacles lining the edges. In response to starvation or physical damage, this jellyfish transforms itself into a polyp. It manages to turn back the clock and become a baby once again and grows into a mature adult in weeks!

The Turritopsis dohrnii is not only good at surviving dangerous situations. It is also an aggressive invader capable of hitching rides around the world in the ballasts of ships. Researchers are still trying to figure out if it replaces all its cells whether this jellyfish remains the same individual.

Moon Jellyfish Make for Excellent Pets

The number of people harvesting and raising food for jellyfish is increasing, so they are available for purchase. You need to provide gentle water flow in the aquarium so the jellyfish remain suspended and to allow its tentacles to capture food. They can live up to about 12 to 15 months as long as they stay in an appropriate aquarium. Get in touch with a pet shop that specialises in these breeds to ensure regular maintenance of your tank.

The moon jellyfish is an excellent aquarium inhabitant. Many hobbyists have successfully kept the species, breed them and watched them complete their life cycle. Keeping a jellyfish is a superb source for expanding your knowledge about them. Plus, it can help you advance jellyfish husbandry infiltration, foods, system design and more. Moon jellyfish thrive on newly hatched brine shrimp, chopped seafood, copepods and zooplankton.