Jellyfish

The moon jelly is found in the North, Black, Baltic and Caspian Seas, Northeast Atlantic, Greenland, northeastern USA and Canada, Northwest Pacific and South America.

Ode to the Moon Jelly

Moon jellyfish, ethereal and fair,

Drifting through the depths, a ballet in air.

Translucent bodies, a delicate grace,

Invisible currents guide your embrace.

Moonlit tendrils, trailing behind,

A dance of beauty, nature's design.

Gentle pulsations, rhythmic and slow,

In the tranquil sea's ebb and flow.

Mysteries hidden in your gelatinous form,

A testament to life's diverse norm.

Staying symmetrical, staying on even keel

Oceanic shapeshifters

Animals are endowed with the capacity to repair injuries. Some animals simply heal the wound, whereas others are able to regenerate lost parts.

A new study now documents yet another and previously unidentified strategy of self-repair, where moon jellyfish respond to injuries by reorganizing existing parts, and rebuilding essential body symmetry, important for them to stay balanced as they travel around the ocean, without regenerating what is lost.

Image of jellyfish captured in glass filming vessel. The footage below shows a jellyfish swimming through a laser sheet with tracer particles.
Image of jellyfish captured in glass filming vessel. The footage below shows a jellyfish swimming through a laser sheet with tracer particles.

Jellyfish creates virtual floor to swim efficiently

Researchers have known that an animal swimming parallel to a solid surface receive a subsequent boost in performance, thus allowing them to utilise less energy when moving around. 

 

Studies have quantified this into a 25 percent increase in speed and a 45 percent increase in thrust when swimming near a solid surface. 



However, the jellyfish does not swim near the seafloor or seawalls. How does it get named the "world's most efficient swimmer"?

Apparently, it does so by creating a "virtual wall."

Here's what the Cassiopea xamachana jellyfish looks like. Photo taken at aquarium in Loro Parque
Here's what the Cassiopea xamachana jellyfish looks like. Photo taken at aquarium in Loro Parque

How upside-down jellyfish can make the water sting

In some tropical waters like the Florida Keys mangrove forests, for snorkellers to stay safe, it’s not enough to not touch anything. It may not be a good idea to enter the water in the first place.

That’s because sometimes it seems that the water itself can sting, causing rashes on a snorkeller's skin.

The real culprit is not some mutant strain of water molecules. Rather, it is a species of upside-down jellyfish that lives on the ocean floor. Called Cassiopea xamachana, this jellyfish can also be found in places like the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

Here's what the Cassiopea xamachana jellyfish looks like. Photo taken at aquarium in Loro Parque

How upside-down jellyfish can make the water sting

In some tropical waters like the Florida Keys mangrove forests, for snorkellers to stay safe, it’s not enough to not touch anything. It may not be a good idea to enter the water in the first place.

That’s because sometimes it seems that the water itself can sting, causing rashes on a snorkeller's skin.

The real culprit is not some mutant strain of water molecules. Rather, it is a species of upside-down jellyfish that lives on the ocean floor. Called Cassiopea xamachana, this jellyfish can also be found in places like the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

Heat the best option for treating jellyfish stings

Jellyfish stings: Hot water better than ice

After combing through more than 2,000 articles and conducting a systematic review of the evidence for the use of heat or ice in the treatment of cnidarian envenomations, the team concluded that the majority of studies to date support the use of hot-water immersion for pain relief and improved health outcomes.