I am going to talk about to two different types of jellies today. They all have their own way of being identified and all have many adaptations for their own way of life. For now we will talk about the things many jellies have in common. For starters, many people ask this question, " Do Jellyfish have brains?" Well the simple answer is no! Jellyfish still can swim and even hunt but they do it with no brain. They do this because the Jellyfish still have neurons in its body capable of moving the body and also "feel" with its body as well. In other words it has a central nervous system that can be similar to a brain but it not one. All jellyfish are also made of three layers of gel like substance. The first layer is called the epidermis the middle thick layer is called mesoglea that is the "jelly" part of the jelly fish, and the last layer is the gastrodermis or the inner layer. All Jellyfish have tentacles that are used for collecting plankton to even catching small fish. Some also are very venomous while other are harmless to humans. They are also invertebrates meaning they have no back bone or even bones at all!
Lions Main Jellyfish
This Jellyfish is also known as the Giant Jellyfish. Its scientific name is Cyanea capillata (say that three times)It is the largest Jellyfish every discovered and can grow up to 120 feet long and be 20 inches in diameter. They are found in colder waters like here in the Boston Harbor. They are also found in the Artic and north Pacific oceans. They eat fish larvae and other creature eggs, tiny crustaceans like small crabs and snails, small fishes, and other jellies. This particular Jelly is actually dangerous to us humans. They are not known to kill but have a very painful sting and you will need to consult a doctor for a remedy.
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Lions Main Jellyfish
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Box Jellyfish
The scientific name fore the Box Jellyfish is Cubozoa. They can grow up to 8 inches along each box side and be up to 12 inches in diameter the the tentacles can grow up to 10 feet long. They are transparent so they can be very hard to see under the water. They are found in warm costal waters like in Florida and parts of the Caribbean. Box Jellies are carnivores that eat Shrimp, fish, worms, and other jellies. How they catch their prey is by the tentacles. They have 5,000 stingers on each tentacle and are super venomous. They are powerful enough to kill adult humans. The tentacles attaches to the skin which have little needles that then pump the venom into the skin. The venom is filled with nematocyst that causes a lot of pain. Remember how I said they are hard to see, well this is why humans sometimes get stung in shallow waters because even when they die the stingers still are on and can kill. So if you are to go to global water be careful for those Jellies.
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Box jellies
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| Sting of Box Jelly |
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