Jellyfish

As the name suggests, the term jellyfish is a common word used to define aquatic animals that are gelatinous or made up of ‘jelly-like substances.

There can be big jellyfish and there can be small jellyfish. While there are some jellyfish that are bigger than the size of the man and others are as small as a pinhead? Sea Jelly is also a delicacy for some people in different parts of the world. Though jellyfish have no brains, some types have eyes. Jellyfish are chiefly made up of water and protein. A group of jellyfish is termed smack. 

Refer to the below diagram to know how a jellyfish looks like. 

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Quick Scientific and Physical Attributes of Jellyfish

World’s Deadliest Jellyfish

Want to know what type of jellyfish will kill you? Box jellyfish can be lethal to humans. Few species of box jellyfish produce venom: Carukia barnesi, Chironex fleckeri, and Malo kingi. Stings from certain species of box jellyfish in the class are immensely painful and can be lethal to humans. Most aren't fatal, but a few are, including the box jellyfish (most commonly found in and around Australia), which can submit a sting strong enough to kill a human in only a few minutes. If you're in a region where it is recognized that jellyfish-like to, skip the swim altogether.

The box jellyfish is the deadliest since it is arguably the most venomous animal in the world. There are various types of jellyfish that belong to the box jellyfish family. In fact, there are more than 50 species of box jellyfish, though some are deadlier than others.

Largest Jellyfish

The lion's mane jellyfish is known to be the largest jellyfish on the planet and a contender for the longest jellyfish of all time. Its bell can be 2.5 meters across, and its tentacles can elongate over 30 meters – about the similar length as a blue whale. Thus, you cannot assert that a Lion's Mane jellyfish is larger than a Blue Whale.

Despite their massive size and perhaps the largest jellyfish, the Lion's Mane is not terribly dangerous and cannot kill a human. While they have been recognized to sting humans, they are barely lethal.

The lion's mane jellyfish, growing to an average length of 1.5 feet but can reach lengths of 6.5 feet.

Blue Jellyfish

Often confused with a bigger but similarly shaped lion’s mane jellyfish, the blue jellyfish can be colourless when young and develop into a remarkable blue-purple bell (up to 30cm across) as it matures. This beautiful jellyfish is most commonly observed near the UK coastline in summer and autumn. They are enticed inshore by blooms of plankton that offer an abundant supply of food. The blue jellyfish can coast along, easily seizing prey with its dense muster of stinging tentacles.

Similar to many species of jellyfish, this animal does sting, so if you see one on the beach it's best not to mess with it.

A blue jellyfish has a dome-shaped bell and stinging tentacles trailing beneath. The bell colour is influenced by maturity and can range from pale yellow to purple. Paler (younger) fish are easily confused with the longer lion's mane jellyfish.

Golden Jellyfish

Golden Jellyfish (scientific name: Mastigias papua etpisoni) is an Invertebrate belonging to the group called Smack. Size reaches up to 5.5 inches and imitates that to a teacup. Jellyfish are known for coasting to and fro at an impulse of ocean currents — but not all species are so passive. Millions of golden jellyfish spend much of their lives on the move in a daily migration that trails along the sun's arc across the sky.

Golden jellyfish rest comparatively contentedly at midday when the tropical sun remains high overhead. However each afternoon, as the sun carries on its steady crawl toward the western horizon, the jellies reverse the course and resume to the western shore in hope of the dawning of a new day.

This striking migration pattern has a critical consequence: The jellyfish skip off the shaded lakeshore regions where their principal predators, anemones, live.

White Jellyfish

Wondering what colour is a moon jellyfish. It’s white. The moon jelly consists of four different horseshoe-shaped gonads and short tentacles. A moon jellyfish is Translucent white having darker tentacles and four yellowish pink gonads.

Are Jellyfish Immortal?

To date, there is only one species that has been recognized as 'biologically immortal': the immortal jellyfish – Turritopsis dohrnii medusa (Turritopsis dohrnii). These small, colourless animals hang out in oceans across the globe and can turn back time by reverting to a previous stage of their life cycle.

How Long Do Jellyfish Live?

The majority of jellyfish live less than a year, and some of the smallest may survive only some days. Each species goes through a natural life cycle in which the jellyfish form is a component of the life cycle. The most amicable stage is the medusa stage, where the jelly generally swims around and consists of tentacles hanging down. Male and female medusae reproduce and create hundreds of very tiny larvae called planulae. 

The larvae then rest at the bottom on rocks and oyster shells of the ocean and develop a small polyp, which appears just like a tiny sea anemone. Each polyp will burgeon up many baby jellyfish known as ephyrae that grow rapidly into adult medusae. Some scientists believe that jellyfish have increased due to coastal development aids that offer more underwater habitat for jellyfish polyps to grow.

What Do Jellyfish Eat?

Jellyfish consume a variety of things, such as small plants (phytoplankton), copepods (crustacean zooplankton), fish eggs and other small fish referred to as larvae. They also feed upon the planktonic eggs and young stages (also known as larvae) of various kinds of marine animals. When jellyfish form blooms they consume nearly everything in the water and this can initiate issues for fisheries since there is no food left for the fish to eat!

What is a Bloom?

When large numbers of plants or animals appear all of a sudden, scientists call it a 'bloom'. In some parts of the world, millions of jellyfish can flock together, and these blooms induce issues for fisheries and tourism. If you've been on a boat or at the beach at some point when it appeared like jellyfish were everywhere – then maybe you have ever observed a jellyfish bloom.

How Do Jellyfish Blooms Form?

Jellyfish are plankton (from the Greek term planktos, meaning to stroll or drift) and are not impactful swimmers, such that they are at the mercy of the ocean currents. Blooms most commonly occur where two currents collide and if there is an onshore breeze thousands of freshwater jellyfish can be beached.

Good Things About Jellyfish

Jellyfish are quite crucial animals in the ocean. Even people eat jellyfish – yummy! Jellyfish also render a habitat for many juvenile fishes in regions where there are not many places to hide. They can also safeguard the small fish from being consumed by predators with their stinging cells. In addition, many young crabs hitchhike besides jellyfish so they don’t have to swim.

Did You Know?

• Jellyfish have been on Earth for millions of years.

• Jellyfish have been existing even before dinosaurs.

• There are different types of jellyfish, including stinging kinds called medusae and non-stinging kinds referred to as comb jellies or ctenophores.

• Some jellyfish are known to even eat other jellyfish! 

• Another kind of jelly animal is known as a salp and is also in the same group as humans!

Conclusion

Jellyfish are quite crucial animals in the ocean. We must certainly respect and not harm them. They are actually also food for a number of marine critters such as turtles and large fish.