Did you know that jellyfish have been around for the past 650 million years? Not a lot of people do. When you think of jellyfish, how much do you really know about these remarkable creatures? Let's dive down deep and rediscover these spectacular animals...
Going off of the first fact, jellyfish really have been around for more than 650 million years. For those of you who know a lot about dinosaurs, you'll know that that means that jellyfish have been around since before dinosaurs. And they are still alive.
Unlike humans, jellyfish don't have hearts, blood, bones, lungs, or brains. To compensate from this absence, "jellyfish have nerve nets which sense changes in the environment and coordinate the animal's response" (World Jellyfish Day). However, jellyfish can still breathe, move, catch their food, eat, and reproduce. Amazing, right? Also, most jellyfish don't have eyes, meaning that they can't see.
Jellyfish are more than 90% of water. That's 30% more water than us! The water helps support them, since they don't have bones.
Some jellyfish are glow-in-the-dark.
Everyday, jellyfish can release up to 45,000 eggs!
You know how a group of lions are called a pride or a group of crows are called a murder? A group of jellyfish also have a cool name...actually, they have three. A group of jellyfish can be called a bloom, swarm, or a smack. Cool, huh? A bloom/swarm/smack can contain up to millions of jellyfish!
Every jellyfish produces some kind of toxin, but not all affect humans. In a way, some toxin doesn't affect us. That's pretty cool.
If you've ever seen a washed-up jellyfish on the beach, you've probably been told to not touch it. This is because jellyfish can still sting when dead.
Jellyfish are made up of a jelly-like substance, hence their name. However, the "fish" part of their name is confusing, because jellyfish aren't fish! They are plankton, because they float in the water.
The flowy part of the jellyfish are actually tentacles.
There are stinging and non-stinging types of jellyfish.
Jellyfish come in a range of sizes, being larger than a human to smaller than a pinhead.
Lots of jellyfish are transparent, making them very hard to notice. However, like the pink meanie mentioned below, some jellyfish are very brightly colored.
Surprisingly, they aren't very good swimmers.
After the jellyfish eats it's meal, they spit out the waste!
Scary Fact: The deadly box jellyfish can kill a human in 3 minutes if stung by it. (Also, the box jellyfish has 24 eyes!)
Jellyfish Spotlight: Pink Meanie-The pink meanie is a giant jellyfish, with a scientific name of Drymonema larsoni. This jellyfish earned it's name from being a very distinct pink color and aggressive sting.
If you ever get stung by a jellyfish, here are two treatments:
Shaving cream: Apply shaving cream to the stung spot. This helps prevent the spreading of the toxins to other parts of your body.
Painkillers: Use painkillers, such as ibuprofen or paracetamol. (DO NOT USE IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC).
Sites:
World Jellyfish Day!: https://oceanscubadive.com/types-of-jellyfish/
Jellyfish Close Reading: http://www.classroomfreebiestoo.com/2014/09/jellyfish-close-reading.html
Jellyfish Races: Ocean...:https://livingporpoisefully.com/2018/05/23/jellyfish-races-ocean-themed-birthday-party-game/
Comments