According to records, Jellyfish are the most ancient creatures ever lived on earth. They are different from other aquatic animals. Most are called Jellyfish, and they are part of the phylum Cnidarian; they are about 10 000 species in this class.
Interesting facts you would want to know about Jellyfish.
1. Jellyfish predate dinosaurs for millions of years.
They don’t have bones, so fossils are hard to find. Scientists have evidence these creatures have been here for over 500 million years. Some scientists believe that they have been here for over 700 million years; that’s three times the age of the first dinosaur.
2. They don’t have brains.
Jellyfish do not have lungs, hearts, or brains. They have thin skin, and it is easy for them to absorb oxygen from their surroundings easily. They don’t have blood, so no need for the heart.
3. They are often referred to as Medusa.
Their body shape looks like a bell and has tentacles hanging upside down. The bell shape and tentacles make it look like a medusa from ancient Greek mythology.
4. Jellyfish can clone their bodies.
When they are split into two, Jellyfish can regenerate themselves and become two Jellyfish.
5. Some have teeth.
They are of different species, and therefore some they can chew. The period comb jellyfish have hundreds of rows of teeth. The row of teeth made of miniature hair that can transfix, tear. And pull their prey in their stomach.
6. They have gone into space.
In 1991 moonfish Jellyfish was taken into outer space via the Columbia shuttle. Scientists wanted to see how microgravity affects Jellyfish. They multiplied in space, and when they came back, scientists knew they didn’t know how to deal with gravity.
7. They can’t get tangled.
They cannot get tangled, even though some do have long tentacles. Their tentacles are slippery and will never get tangled or sting. Their tentacles can sting other species of Jellyfish.
8. They can have long tentacles.
Lion’s mane Jellyfish is the biggest and largest Jellyfish on earth. This species will amaze you as they can have up to 27 meters long tentacles longer than the size of the blue whale (the biggest mammal on earth).
9. Group names for Jellyfish are awesome.
Other objects, animals, people, etc., have cool names, but Jellyfish are on the top of the list. They are called bloom, swarm, or smack of Jellyfish.
10. 98% of their body is made up of water.
Jellyfish bodies are made up of water (90%) when washed up to dry land. Sometimes they will look transparent and disappear like water in them will evaporate.
11. They are OK with changing the pH level of the oceans.
Do you know Jellyfish are thriving in our oceans even if we disrupt marine heatwaves, acidification, and overfishing? According to a report in 2019, Jellyfish are thriving despite all odds going against marine life.
12. They are not fish.
They are Gelatinous Zooplankton. People know that they are fish because of their look and the fact that they live underwater. They are invertebrates from the taxonomic group Phylum Cnidarian. Scientists refer to them as gelatinous zooplankton.
13. Some have eyes.
They have simple body structures, but some do have eyes. Others have a complex vision, and some are simple. Box jellyfish have 24 eyes, and two of them can see and distinguish color. They have 360-degree vision.
14. They are believed to be immortal (some)
At least one of the 30,000 species is believed to be immortal. Once threatened, they can undergo trans-differentiation. It is the process where living organism cells become new cells.
15. They can poop where they are eating from.
That’s weird anyway; that’s how their body structure looks. They have one orifice that does the job for the mouth and anus at the same time. There is beauty in it, too, as they don’t take much food, and they don’t have a complex body system for excretion that will turn their waste into something weird.
16. They can kill an adult.
They have nematocyst, mostly called stinging structures—jellyfish power to sting very from jellyfish sizes. The box jellyfish is capable of killing an adult with a single string. They kill a single human being within a few minutes as they carry enough venom to kill 60 adults.
17. They vary in body size.
Some are very petite to an extent. They are invisible when floating in ocean currents; are mostly found in Eleutheria and Staurocladia. They have bell disks just 0.5 mm in diameter. The largest Jellyfish are true monsters. The lion mane jellyfish is believed to be the longest Jellyfish (They have the longest tentacle that can extend to 120 feet.) Nomura Jellyfish are big and heavy and the diameter of a ship.
18. Some are believed to be edible
They are not a delicacy for every country globally but a few countries like Japan and Korea. In Japan, Jellyfish are transformed into candy, and a lot of people love them.
19. Rhizostomeae jellies.
They are blue with no tentacles, so they have oral arms as they have a mouth down each arm. They feed a lot compared to others.
20. Some can change into a scar.
Jelly polyps change into scars when they are under stress. They can stay like this for over a long period (years and years) and grow back to produce more jellies.
21. Eco-friendly.
Some people have discovered they can use Jellyfish to have fun and take pictures. Also, some are using them for nappies and sanitary items. So they can be very useful and make the world chores simple.
22. Jellyfish sting cure is a myth.
Many people on earth believe that when you are stung by Jellyfish, you should urinate on the wound. That’s a myth and very ineffective. Others believe that meat tenderizers, lemon juice, and alcohol can treat the sting, but they don’t work; they are not effective. Go to the hospital.
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