The jellyfish is a myth that dates back thousands of years and the Greeks already described it as dangerous because it bore the evil eye! Jellyfish are not fish even though they are fit for consumption but they are called gelatinous zooplankton: well it does not explain much … Jellyfish have withstood millions of years of environmental change and have even survived to the great flood of humanity. Present for more than 700 million years their presence is prior to dinosaurs that have already disappeared … This time SpotMyDive has decided to demystify a myth which haunted our mentalities because if the jellyfish is in our seas now it invades our oceans to exalt our primary fears ! Below I will describe the top 7 characteristics about it to put even more spice to legends which exalting your imagination …
Reality of the facts: jellyfish are dangerous
Jellyfish are among the most dangerous creatures on earth, killing about 30 people a year or 3 times more than sharks, and many of them stand out for their dangerousness.
Jellyfish, ruthless predators
Even though jellyfish do not have a brain, their stomachs are the only master at the helm, and even though they do not have fangs it does not make them any less dangerous. Skillful as predators they capture their prey with the help of their tentacles, harpoons called nematocysts. To go to the boarding and shoeing their victims some jellyfish get their best colors and use the bioluminescence to tease in a dangerous way . Thus they will release their venom by grabbing their victims and ingnite the fire under the smell of their prey: basically they attract their lunch small crabs, crustaceans, shrimp before giving them the coup de grace an impressive knockout: formidable …
The Lion Mane Jellyfish
Did you know that a jellyfish could compete with a basketball player in terms of size and even measure 2 meters? The jellyfish cyanea capillata also called the jellyfish lion its many tentacles take the form of a lion’s mane is up to 2 meters wide, not to mention the amplitude of its tentacles 30 meters in length. It evolves in the waters of the Pacific, the Baltic and the North Sea. With huge tentacles, its size is not only imposing but its poisonous venom can even cause death: the symptoms after being biten will be muscle cramps burns, or irritation if you are lucky …
The Irukandjin Jellyfish
It is only 2 to 3 cm in diameter, living along the Australian coast, its ridiculous size not threatening in appearance can be deadly despite its nano size : a single bite could be lethal…
The jellyfish box
The box jellyfish is one of the most dangerous creatures in the world, nicknamed “sea wasps” a single contact produces a fulgurant effect on the human being because its venom is extremely powerful. His favorite places are South-East Asia, as well as Australia, and the Chironex fleckeri, qualified as the most dangerous creature in the world, can even lead to death. And to add a little more to our collective hysteria concerning jellyfish it does not let itself be carried by the currents, she chooses her victim and hunt her prey herself …
The jellyfish Cubomedusa
As you know, flashy color on the fauna or the flora is often synonymous with danger in the nature, the jellyfish often translucent are difficult to detect in the water, basically it is practically playing tag with the invisible Man. The Cubomedusa have 24 video sensors including 2 eyes able to see colors. Dangerous she is one of the few creatures of the seabed to have a 360 ° vision, so if the jellyfish slide through the ocean currents, they have a perfect vision and relentless assets to attract its prey.
Jellyfish serve science : cosmetic properties
The Rhizostoma jellyfish collagen provider
Jellyfish are 98% water and their bodies are made of gelatin called mesoglea. The jellyfish has collagen and stem cells contributing to the regeneration of damaged tissues. Each Rhizostoma, this large translucent globe found on the beaches of the English Channel, contains 1% collagen and 1% salt. We can therefore extract 30 kg of collagen on a jellyfish very close of the human type collagen. The umbrella of the jellyfish is the upper part to be extracted frozen and ground and once collagen fibers are recovered they inject acetic acid. The cosmetics industry found a new manna off the market to make it anti-wrinkle creams upscale.
Turritopsis nutricula or immortality
A unique species is the Turritopsis nutricula measuring only a few millimeters, born in the form of a polyp, then turning into a jellyfish, it can become a polyp again after sexual maturity and so on. And in case of direct threat it will renew itself again to its initial state: in other words it makes a reboot to refresh itself like a fountain of youth … The Hydrozoa family the hydra is an enigma for geneticists because they can’t analyze their aging, its unique regenerative abilities make it immortal in theory even if it has many predators. We could call it a Benjamin Button 1000 leagues under the sea because it is actually a queen of cloning and the human is studying that species to be inspired …
The Aequorea Victoria jellyfish: the GFP protein
The Aequorea Victoria jellyfish living on the west coast of the US had a Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2008 explanation: this jellyfish produces a protein GFP and fluoresces under blue light, a chemical reaction that attracted scientists. This protein used in its natural environment is attached to genes and activated fluorescence will track the growth of cancerous tumors, the evolution of pathogenic bacteria and is even common use to learn to graft genes … Yes the jellyfish is a genius without a brain!
The jellyfish: an organic tank
An Israeli university discovered that jellyfish were able to absorb liters of water or blood, a perfect solution for girls adept of menstrual pad! Yes jellyfish are organic tanks that can absorb various liquids: the nature is just perfect!
Jellyfish on table! Countries like Japan and Korea consume jellyfish and especially for dessert. Students in Japan had the ingenious idea of making jellyfish powder to stem their infestation, they also created jellyfish butter-flavored caramels. Crunchy texture of its flesh is very much appreciated by gourmet chefs but also the inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago which eating it in salad. In China the rhopilemer esculenta emptied of its venom is eaten in salad and don’t judge to its appearance, well cooked it is very crunchy and not viscous and green like ghosts in « ghost buster »!
Biomimicry, jellyfish are the future of the planet
If the jellyfish can be a danger for humans, its virtues are even greater and if we wanted to be inspired by its natural qualities its bioluminescence would allow us to create light without wasting anything 100% organic … Without counting our advances in cell biology, as Idriss Aberkane french biologist known during his lifetime says, don’t burn books because: “nature is a library and each species is a book and when one destroys a species it is a book that we destroy ». We are inspired by our living, brilliant and often intuitive let’s protect our heritage because nature has a golden resumate !
