Showing posts with label jellyfish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jellyfish. Show all posts

Jellyfish are Complex Creatures

Though jellyfish have no brain, intelligence is built into their bodies. They appear to act on instinct to changes in the environment. Whether they have consciousness is not known.
They swim better than any other creature. Swimming against the tide is their forte. Detecting the direction of currents was thought to be impossible without sight, yet jellyfish do it.

Rhythmically moving their heads and forcing water out from their bodies, they are a jet-propelled swimming machine. Most believe that jellyfish just drift. This is not the case, They head straight for their destination, for example, usually in groups.

Somehow they know that there are others of their kind with them, though they do not have eyes. Perhaps the animal uses the Earth's magnetic field as well as ocean currents to know where they are. Some scientists have suggested they use infrasound.
✴ Science by Ty Buchanan ✴
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Two New Species Carrying Irukandji Found in Australia

It never fails to amaze me how new things are discovered on our doorstep when the majority of people think everything is known about nature.  This is particularly true in Australia where a low number of people live on a vast continent.  Some places have not even been visited by humans for thousands of years.

Dr Lisa-Ann Gershwin has identified two species of jellyfish that can carry Irukandji syndrome.  The new species are Keesingia gigas and Malo bella.  Doctor Gershwin works for CSIRO.  There are now 16 species that can cause Irukandji.

Keesingia can grow to 50 cm in bell height.  This is by far the largest jellyfish.  Juvenile leatherjacket fish safely live in its subumbrellar cavity as with the more common medusas.

The two newly documented species have been generally known for some time.  However, they have not been found in Australian waters before.  They could have been present for a long time or maybe they are new, moving here due to climate change and the warming ocean.
 Biology by Ty Buchanan 
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If you want to see weird animals go visit Australia. Most animals are spread throughout the world but Australian marsupials stay strictly at home on this "lost continent". Two hundred kinds of marsupials live only in Australia the kangaroo being the most commonly known.

When the platypus was first taken to England scientists of the day said it was a hoax, a made up animal. The koala seemed to be a cuddly bear. Unfortunately wild koalas can be very nasty and do not take kindly to being picked up. So aligned to its environment, the Tasmanian Tiger soon became extinct with the arrival of Europeans.

Besides marsupials, other creatures make life difficult for people living on this continent. Red back and funnel web spiders are dangerous. The box jellyfish also causes much pain to humans. Small animals have died from their sting. Don't let the presence of these put you off from a visit to this great country. Oh, I nearly forgot; crocodile lives up north.
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Nature
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New Research on Box Jellyfish

There has been a breakthrough in the research on box jellyfish. They have thousands of stinging cells on their ten-foot long tentacles. New discoveries have been made into their evolution. This will help in finding antivenom and new treatment for stings to humans.

Some species of jelly fish have good sight: they have 24 eyes, can sense light and form images of their surroundings. Little is known, however, about what they actually see. They don't need to see to mate. Females and males just get together and fertilize eggs in a mass spawning, though some species do appear to mate one-on-one.

The most dangerous jelly fish, in Australia, is the Box Jellyfish (sea wasp or stinger). Some can immobilize while others can kill. The Portuguese man of war is held to be very dangerous, but despite its name it cannot kill humans. Chironex flecken, an Australian box jellyfish, can be lethal. A similar type, Chironex yamaguchii, has killed people in Japan.

Evolution of jellyfish has been pinned down by DNA extracted from tissue samples. It is now known how species are related. It was found that several types cause Irukandji Syndrome which leaves sufferers with body pain, severe depression and feelings of impending doom. If you are stung by members of this group then these symptoms can be expected. Some types have been isolated from others for a long period of time. Sea level changes from tectonic plate movements apparently create new species.
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Science
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Australian Spotted Jellyfish Invades Spain

Though it is not unusual for alien species to invade Australia, it is unusual for animals native to Australia to become pests in other countries. The Australian spotted jellyfish, phyllorhiza punctata, is stinging bathers on Spanish beaches.

The jellyfish is not dangerous to humans, but it causes a painful sting. Though called the Australian spotted jellyfish it is also found in North Carolina and the Gulf of Mexico.

Seven beaches were closed in Spain to protect people: Cala Cerrada, La Zenia, Cala Capitan, Punta Prima, La Mosca and Playa Flamenca. There are fears that the jellyfish will arrive on British beaches this summer. Climate change, pollution and overfishing are being blamed.
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Climate
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New Jellyfish in Coffs Harbour

It seems humans know just about everything. This is a myth really. A new species of jellyfish has be seen in Coffs Harbour, NSW. It seems the marine creature has been there for a long time.

The mystery "object" is a box jellyfish that appears to be totally harmless. It is unlike the Irujandji and is smaller than the dangerous Chironex flecker box jellyfish. Fishermen have been seeing the new jellyfish for sometime but authorities took no notice. A game crew took photos of the animal last week.

Finally "professionals" acted and arrangements are being made to catch some specimens. Fish of all kinds are moving south as the temperature of the ocean increases due to climate change. It is believed the visiting jellyfish come from more northern climes. Usually jellyfish do not move south because they can be harmed by rougher seas. They prefer the warm, calmer tropics.
~~~~~Science~~~~~
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Strange Animals Live in Australia

If you want to see weird animals go visit Australia. Most animals are spread throughout the world but Australian marsupials stay strictly at home on this "lost continent". Two hundred kinds of marsupials live only in Australia the kangaroo being the most commonly known.

When the platypus was first taken to England scientists of the day said it was a hoax, a made up animal. The koala seemed to be a cuddly bear. Unfortunately wild koalas can be very nasty and do not take kindly to being picked up. So aligned to its environment, the Tasmanian Tiger soon became extinct with the arrival of Europeans.

Besides marsupials, other creatures make life difficult for people living on this continent. Red back and funnel web spiders are dangerous. The box jellyfish also causes much pain to humans. Small animals have died from their sting. Don't let the presence of these put you off from visit this great country. Oh, I nearly forgot, the crocodile lives up north.
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