Which tourist vacationing in Anapa has not encountered cute jelly-like creatures that roam the expanses of the Black Sea. Weightless jellyfish are permanent inhabitants of the local waters. Sometimes our underwater neighbors can be seen nearby or touched by their slippery body while swimming. Today we will talk about the most famous jellyfish of Anapa, which has a beautiful and romantic name called Aurelia. Our beauty is often called an eared jellyfish; from our review, the attentive reader will understand why.
Appearance
Externally, Aurelia looks like a floating transparent umbrella. The base of the body consists of a dome, the dimensions of which can reach up to 40 centimeters. If you look at the jellyfish from above, four horseshoes decorating the body are clearly visible. This is where the gonads appear; depending on the sex of the aurelia, these horseshoes acquire different colors and sizes. Inside the fleshy umbrella there is a stomach, and on the lower part there is a rectangular mouth opening, next to which you can see oral lobes that look like small ears. Along the edges of its rounded body, nature has awarded the Aurelia jellyfish with small but very important tentacles. The tentacle threads are equipped with stinging cells that can immobilize the smallest living creatures that the jellyfish feeds on. It turns out that Aurelia has eyes and balance organs, which are located inside the dome.
Habits
Aurelia chooses a pelagic lifestyle, i.e. likes to drift closer to the upper layers of the water element. Here, especially when the sea warms up, there is enough plankton and small larvae, which make up the main diet of the eared jellyfish. Ears or oral cavities are necessary to more conveniently rake immobilized microscopic food. Stinging cells help make plankton more docile. Also in the warm season, when there are already a lot of tourists on the beaches of Anapa, the mating season begins for Aurleia. The female carries eggs inside the dome; after fertilization, small larvae drift in the water. After some time, if the larvae do not end up in the stomachs of other jellyfish, they sink to the bottom and turn into a polyp. And this polyp, by budding, produces young jelly-like animals.
Researchers marine flora and fauna claim that for more successful hunting, Aurelia uses ultrasonic waves. By spreading the wave, it is easy to spot a cluster of plankton and head there for a big feast. Sometimes you can find whole clusters of such jellyfish. Human sensations when meeting jellyfish, different people are tolerated differently. Usually aurelia leaves a small burn that gradually goes away. The pain from a collision with an eared jellyfish is not as dangerous as the injury that can be left by a cornetrot jellyfish.
I was stung by a jellyfish, what should I do?
If your body has suffered from a jellyfish burn in Anapa, and you are afraid of the consequences, you need to do the following. First, be sure to rinse the burn area with sea or salt water, discard fresh water, it can activate stinging cells that remain on the wound. Next, lubricate the injury site with antihistamine ointments.
When you first find yourself on the site, keep an eye on your children; it is very important that the jellyfish’s tentacles do not come into contact with the human mucous membrane. If your child complains of itching and burning of the eyes or mouth, it is advisable to go to a health center.
Scientists do not give a definite answer to the question of how long jellyfish live. Many agree that the life cycle of these animals is short and the life expectancy of most species is from two to six months.
Recently, zoologists discovered that among representatives of this species there are specimens that never die and are always reborn. That is why the Turitopsis Nutricula jellyfish is considered to be the only immortal creature on the planet.
Who are jellyfish
When zoologists talk about jellyfish, they usually mean all mobile forms of coelenterate cnidarians (a group of multicellular invertebrate representatives of the animal world) that catch and kill their victims with the help of tentacles.
These amazing animals live only in salt water, and therefore they can be found in all oceans and seas of our planet (except internal ones), sometimes in closed lagoons or lakes with salt water on coral islands. Among the representatives of this class there are both heat-loving animals and those that prefer cold waters, species that live only near the surface of the water, and those that live only on the bottom of the ocean.
Jellyfish are solitary animals, since they do not communicate with each other in any way, even if currents bring them together, thus forming a colony.
These creatures received their modern name in the middle of the 18th century thanks to Karl Lineus, who hinted at the mythical head of the Gorgon Medusa, the resemblance to which he noticed in these representatives of the animal world. This name is not without reason, since these animals are similar to it.
This amazing animal consists of 98% water, and therefore has a transparent body with a slight tint, which in appearance resembles a jelly-like bell, umbrella or disk that moves by contracting the muscles of the bell wall.
Along the edges of the body there are tentacles, the appearance of which directly depends on what species it belongs to: in some they are short and thick, in others they are long and thin. Their number can vary from four to several hundred (but always a multiple of four, since representatives of this class of animals are characterized by radial symmetry).
These tentacles consist of string cells that contain poison and are therefore directly intended for hunting. It is interesting that even after death, jellyfish are able to sting for another fortnight. Some species can be deadly even to humans. For example, the animal known as the “Sea Wasp” is considered the most dangerous poisonous animal in the world’s oceans: scientists claim that its poison is enough to poison sixty people in a few minutes.
The outer part of the body is smooth and convex, while the lower part resembles a bag. In the center of the lower part there is a mouth: in some jellyfish it looks like a tube, in others it is short and wide, in others it resembles short clubs. This hole also serves to remove food debris.
These animals grow throughout their lives, and their size largely depends on the species: among them there are very small ones, no more than a few millimeters, and there are also huge ones, the body size of which exceeds two meters, and together with the tentacles - all thirty ( for example, the largest jellyfish in the world's oceans, Cyanea, which lives in the North-West Atlantic, has a body size of more than 2 m, and with tentacles - almost forty).
Despite the fact that these marine animals lack brains and sensory organs, they have light-sensitive cells that act as eyes, thanks to which these organisms are able to distinguish darkness from light (they, however, are not able to see objects). Interestingly, some specimens glow in the dark, with species living at great depths having a red light, and those living closer to the surface having a blue light.
Since these animals are primitive organisms, they consist of only two layers, connected thanks to a special adhesive substance - mesoglia:
- external (ectoderm) - a kind of analogue of skin and muscles. The rudiments are also located here nervous systems s and germ cells;
- internal (endoderm) - performs only one function: digests food.
Methods of transportation
Since all representatives of this class (even the largest individuals, whose weight exceeds several centners) are almost unable to resist sea currents, scientists consider jellyfish as representatives of plankton.
Most species still do not completely succumb to water flows and, although slowly, move, using the current and the thin muscle fibers of their body: contracting, they fold the body of the jellyfish like an umbrella - and the water that is in the lower part of the animal is sharply pushed out.
As a result, a strong jet is formed, pushing the animal forward. Therefore, these sea creatures always move in the direction opposite to the mouth. They are helped to determine where exactly they need to move by the balance organs located on the tentacles.
Regeneration
One more interesting feature of these creatures is their ability to restore lost parts of the body - absolutely all the cells of these animals are interchangeable: even if this animal is divided into parts, it will restore them, forming two new individuals! If you do this with an adult jellyfish, an adult copy will appear; from a jellyfish larva, a larva will appear.
Reproduction
Looking at these amazing translucent creatures, many ask themselves the question of how jellyfish reproduce. Reproduction of jellyfish is an interesting and unusual process.
Answering the question of how jellyfish reproduce, it is worth noting that in this case, it is possible both sexually (they are heterosexual) and vegetative propagation. The first involves several stages:
- In these animals, the sex cells mature in the gonads;
- After the eggs and sperm mature, they come out through the mouth and are fertilized, resulting in the appearance of a jellyfish larva - a planula;
- After some time, the planula settles to the bottom and attaches itself to something, after which a polyp appears on the basis of the planula, which reproduces by budding: on it, layering on top of each other, daughter organisms are formed;
- After some time, they peel off and float away, revealing themselves as a newly born jellyfish.
The reproduction of some species differs somewhat from this pattern. For example, the pelagic jellyfish does not have a polyp stage at all - the cubs appear directly from the larva. But bougainvillea jellyfish can be said to be born, since polyps are formed directly in the gonads, without separating from the adults, without any intermediate stages.
Nutrition
These amazing animals are the most numerous predators on our planet. They feed mainly on plankton: fry, small crustaceans, and fish eggs. Larger specimens often catch small fish and smaller relatives.
Thus, jellyfish see almost nothing and do not have any sense organs; they hunt with the help of scratching tentacles, which, having sensed the touch of edible food on them, instantly inject poison into it, which paralyzes the victim, after which the jellyfish eats it. There are two more options for catching food (much depends on the type of jellyfish): the first is that the prey sticks to the tentacles, the second is that it gets entangled in them.
Classification
There are the following types of jellyfish, differing from each other in structure.
Hydromedusa
Hydroid jellyfish are transparent, small in size (from 1 mm to 3 cm), four tentacles and a long tube-shaped mouth are attached to the body. Among the prominent representatives of hydromedusas is the jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula: the only creature discovered by people about which scientists have declared that it is immortal.
Having reached maturity, it sinks to the bottom of the sea, transforming into a polyp, on which new formations are formed, from which new jellyfish subsequently arise.
This process is repeated more than once, which means that it is constantly reborn, and can die only if it is eaten by some predator. Like these ones Interesting Facts Scientists recently told the world about jellyfish.
Scyphojellyfish
Scyphoid jellyfish have a more complex structure compared to hydromedusae: they are larger than representatives of other species - the largest jellyfish in the world, the Cyanea jellyfish, belongs precisely to this class. At approximately 37 meters long, this giant jellyfish is one of the longest animals on Earth. Therefore, she eats a lot: during her life, the largest jellyfish eats about 15 thousand fish.
Scyphojellyfish have a more developed nervous and muscular system, a mouth surrounded by a huge number of stinging and tactile cells, and a stomach divided into chambers.
Like all jellyfish, these animals are predators, but deep-sea ones also feed on dead organisms. The touch of a scyphoid jellyfish to a person is quite painful (the feeling as if bitten by a wasp), and a mark resembling a burn often remains at the point of contact. Its bite can also cause an allergic reaction or even painful shock. Having seen this animal, it is advisable not to take risks and, when swimming past, not to touch it.
Some of the most striking specimens of this species, in addition to the Cyanea jellyfish, are also the Aurelia jellyfish (the most typical representative) and the Golden jellyfish - an animal that can only be seen on the Rocky Islands archipelago in Palau.
The golden jellyfish is notable for the fact that, unlike its relatives, who live only in the seas, it lives in Jellyfish Lake, which is connected to the ocean by underground tunnels and is filled with slightly salted water. Representatives of this species also differ from marine specimens in that they completely lack pigment spots, have no stinging tentacles, and no tentacles that surround the mouth.
Although the golden jellyfish is a scyphojellyfish, over many years it has turned into a completely different species that does not pose a danger to humans, since it has significantly lost its stinging ability. An interesting fact is that the Golden Jellyfish began to grow green algae on its body, from which it receives part of its nutrition. The Golden Jellyfish, like its marine relatives, feeds on plankton and has not lost the ability to migrate - in the morning it swims to the east coast, in the evening it swims to the west.
Box jellyfish
Box jellyfish have a more advanced nervous system compared to other representatives of the cnidarian class. They are the fastest of all jellyfish (able to reach speeds of up to 6 m/min) and can easily change the direction of their movement. They are also the most dangerous representatives jellyfish for humans: the bites of some representatives of box jellyfish can be fatal.
The most poisonous jellyfish in the world belongs to this species, lives near the Australian coast and is called the Box Jellyfish or Sea Wasp: its poison can kill a person in just a few minutes. This wasp is almost transparent, of a pale blue hue, which is why it is difficult to notice on the water, which means it is easier to stumble upon it.
The Sea Wasp is the largest jellyfish in its class - its body is the size of a basketball. When a sea wasp simply swims, its tentacles are reduced to 15 cm in length and are almost invisible. But when the animal hunts, they stretch up to three meters. Sea Wasps feed mainly on shrimp and small fish, and they themselves are caught and eaten sea turtles- the only animals on our planet that are insensitive to the poison of some of the most dangerous creatures on Earth.
Titles: common jellyfish, aurelia eared, eared jellyfish, moon jellyfish.
Area: Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans.
Description: The common jellyfish (Aurelia auriata) is easily identified by its four horseshoe-shaped gonads. The body is in the form of a flat umbrella, gelatinous, 97.8-98.2% consists of water. Along the edges of the umbrella there are numerous short hollow tentacles and eight marginal bodies (rhopalia). Rhopalia are the sense organs of the jellyfish and determine its position in the water and the rhythm of the umbrella contractions. Four thickened oral arms, each with a central groove flanked by more diluted curled lips. By detecting infrasounds, rhopalia warn the jellyfish about the approaching storm and allow them to move away from it. The body is two-layered (consists of two layers of cells - ectoderm and endoderm), with a well-defined gelatinous mesoglea. The mouth is located in the middle of the lower side of the body, it leads into the pharynx, from which the intestinal cavity begins. Undigested remains are removed through the mouth. The nervous system of a jellyfish is more developed than that of polyps. In addition to the nerve plexus, which is most developed in the tentacles and on the underside of the umbrella, two nerve rings run along its edge. The gonads are located near the stomach or radial canals.
Color: the umbrella is colorless, and the “arms” and gonads are lilac, purple, reddish, pink or yellowish.
Size: umbrella diameter 5-40 cm.
Habitat: near the coast - warm and tropical waters. Tolerates a wide range of temperatures (from -6 to 31"C) and salinity (from 6 ppm). Optimal temperature 9-19"C.
Enemies: moon fish, Pacific jellyfish, sea turtles, birds.
Food/food: intra- and extracellular digestion. The common jellyfish captures prey with its tentacles. Preys on planktonic crustaceans, aquatic insect larvae, fish fry, hydromedusas, ctenophores, copepods, rotifers, nematodes, young polychaetes, protozoa, and diatoms.
Behavior: It moves in water according to a reactive principle, pushing water out of the body cavities. The jellyfish swims horizontally in the water column.
Social structure: single organism.
Reproduction: common jellyfish reproduces sexually. Jellyfish with purple or pink gonads are males, and those with yellow gonads are females. Male reproductive products are released through the mouth into the water, after which they enter the body of the female, where fertilization occurs. The egg develops into a mobile larva - a planula, which attaches to underwater objects and there turns into a single polyp. The polyp subsequently begins asexual reproduction. It breaks into several disks, which turn into jellyfish. This is how jellyfish alternate generations: asexual (polyp) and sexual (jellyfish). The life cycle is dominated by the jellyfish form, and the polyp is a short-term form of existence.
Breeding season/period: in the fall.
Puberty: about 2 years.
Offspring: From fertilized eggs, larvae are formed - planulae, covered with cilia.
Benefit/harm for humans: The common jellyfish eats fish fry. In Asian countries (China, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia) it is used as food.
Population/Conservation Status: the population is large.
And it is one of the species of sea cnidarians. Looking at this beautiful jellyfish, you would never think that it is one of the ten most dangerous creatures on the planet.
Why her called a sea wasp? Yes, because it “stings” and the affected area swells and turns red, like an insect bite. However, it is believed that more people die from its bite than from attacks.
sea wasp not the largest jellyfish in your class. Its dome reaches the size of a basketball, which is 45 cm. The weight of the largest individual is 3 kg. The color of the jellyfish is transparent with a slight bluish tint, this is due to the fact that it itself consists of 98% water.
The shape of the dome is similar to a round cube, with a bunch of tentacles extending from each corner. Each of the 60 is covered with many stinging cells, which are filled deadly poison. They respond to chemical signals of a protein nature.
At rest, the tentacles are small - 15 cm, and at the time of hunting they become thinner and stretch up to 3 meters. The decisive lethal factor in an attack is the overall size of the stinging tentacles.
If it exceeds 260 cm, then death occurs within a few minutes. The amount of poison in one is enough for 60 people to say goodbye to life in three minutes. The danger of the Australian sea wasp is that it is practically invisible in the water, so encountering it occurs suddenly.
The biggest mystery for zoologists is the 24 eyes of this jellyfish. At each corner of the dome, there are six of them: four of which react to the image, and the remaining two react to light.
It is not clear why the jellyfish needs them in such quantities and where the information received is sent. After all, she lacks not only a brain, but even a primitive central nervous system. The box jellyfish also lacks respiratory, circulatory and excretory systems.
Sea wasp lives off the coast of Northern Australia and in the west in the Indian part Pacific Ocean. More recently, jellyfish have been discovered on the coast of Southeast Asia. Tourists visiting Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia need to be careful when swimming in open waters.
Character and lifestyle of the sea wasp
The sea wasp is an active, dangerous predator. At the same time, she does not chase prey, but freezes motionless, but at the slightest touch the victim receives her portion of poison. Jellyfish, unlike or, stings more than once, but uses a whole series of “bites”. Gradually increasing the dose of poison to the lethal level.
Australian sea wasp An excellent swimmer, she easily turns and maneuvers between algae and in coral thickets, developing speeds of up to 6 m/min.
Jellyfish become more active at dusk, rising to the surface in search of food. During the day, they lie on a warm sandy bottom, in shallow water and avoid coral reefs.
These box jellyfish pose a great threat to human life, but they themselves never attack him, but rather even prefer to swim away. Sea wasp bite a person can only accidentally, more often the victims are divers without special suits. Upon contact with poison, the skin immediately turns red, swells, and unbearable pain is felt. The cause of death is most often cardiac arrest.
It is very difficult to provide timely assistance in the water, but none of the available methods work on the shore either. Neither vinegar nor water and cola will help. It is strictly forbidden to bandage the affected area.
The only thing that can be done is to administer antitoxic serum and urgently take the victim to the hospital. But even then, death can occur within 24 hours after contact. Burn site sea wasp looks like a ball of red, it can be seen on photo.
The surprising thing is that you can even be poisoned by the poison of a dead sea wasp. It retains its toxic properties for a whole week. The cause of a burn can even be the poison of a dried tentacle after it gets wet.
Off the coast of Australia in large quantities jellyfish appear in summer months(November - April). To protect vacationers from sea wasps, public beaches are surrounded with special nets through which this dangerous jellyfish cannot swim. Installed in unprotected places special signs, which warn tourists about the danger.
Sea wasp nutrition
Eating sea wasps small fish and bottom organisms. Their favorite delicacy is. This is her way of hunting. The sea wasp extends its elongated tentacles and freezes. Prey swims by, touches them, and the poison immediately enters its body. She dies, and the jellyfish catches her and swallows her.
These sea wasps dangerous for all living organisms except marine ones. She, the only one on the planet, is protected from them. The poison simply has no effect on her. And he eats this type of jellyfish with pleasure.
Reproduction and lifespan
The breeding season for jellyfish begins in the summer months, when they gather in whole “swarms” and swim to the shores. Many beaches in Australia are closed during this time. The process of reproduction in the sea wasp itself is interesting. It combines several pathways: sexual, budding and division.
The male releases a portion of sperm directly into the water, not far from the swimming female. The latter swallows it and the development of larvae occurs in the body, which certain time, settling on the seabed, they attach to shells, stones or other underwater objects.
After a few days it becomes a polyp. It gradually reproduces by budding and grows a young jellyfish. When the sea wasp becomes independent, it breaks away and swims away. The polyp itself then dies instantly.
Jellyfish reproduce once in their lives, after which they die. Their average lifespan is 6-7 months. During this time, their growth does not stop. Sea wasps are not on the verge of extinction as a species and their abundance leaves no doubt that they will not appear on the pages of the Red Book.
Jellyfish can rightfully be called one of the most mysterious inhabitants of the depths of the sea, causing interest and a certain fear. Who are they, where did they come from, what varieties are there in the world, what is their life cycle, are they as dangerous as popular rumor says - I want to know about all this for sure.
Jellyfish appeared more than 650 million years ago, making them one of the oldest organisms on Earth.
About 95% of the jellyfish's body is water, which is also their habitat. Most jellyfish live in salt water, although there are species that prefer fresh water. Jellyfish - phase life cycle representatives of the genus Medusozoa, "sea jelly" alternates with a nonmotile asexual phase of nonmotile polyps, from which they are formed by budding after maturation.
The name was introduced in the 18th century by Carl Linnaeus, who saw in these strange organisms a certain resemblance to the mythical Gorgon Medusa, due to the presence of tentacles that flutter like hair. With their help, the jellyfish catches small organisms that serve as food for it. The tentacles may look like long or short, pointed threads, but they are all equipped with stinging cells that stun prey and make hunting easier.
Life cycle of scyphoids: 1-11 - asexual generation (polyp); 11-14 - sexual generation (jellyfish).
Glowing jellyfish
The one who saw it glow on a dark night sea water, he is unlikely to be able to forget this spectacle: myriads of lights illuminate deep sea, shimmer like diamonds. The reason for this amazing phenomenon is the smallest planktonic organisms, including jellyfish. The phosphoric jellyfish is considered one of the most beautiful. It is not found very often, living in the benthic zone near the coasts of Japan, Brazil, and Argentina.
The diameter of the luminous jellyfish umbrella can reach 15 centimeters. Living in the dark depths, jellyfish are forced to adapt to conditions, provide themselves with food, so as not to disappear altogether as a species. An interesting fact is that the bodies of jellyfish do not have muscle fibers and cannot resist water flows.
Since the slow jellyfish, swimming at the will of the current, cannot keep up with mobile crustaceans, small fish or other planktonic inhabitants, they have to use a trick and force them to swim up to the predatory mouth opening. And the best bait in the darkness of the bottom space is light.
The body of a luminous jellyfish contains a pigment - luciferin, which is oxidized under the influence of a special enzyme - luciferase. The bright light attracts victims like moths to a candle flame.
Some types glowing jellyfish, such as Rathkeya, Equorea, Pelagia, live at the surface of the water, and, gathering in large quantities, they literally make the sea burn. The amazing ability to emit light has interested scientists. Phosphors have been successfully isolated from the genome of jellyfish and introduced into the genomes of other animals. The results turned out to be quite unusual: for example, mice whose genotype was changed in this way began to grow green hairs.
Poisonous jellyfish - Sea Wasp
Today, more than three thousand jellyfish are known, and many of them are far from harmless to humans. All types of jellyfish have stinging cells “charged” with poison. They help to paralyze the victim and deal with him without any problems. Without exaggeration, for divers, swimmers, and fishermen, a jellyfish called the Sea Wasp is represented. The main habitat of such jellyfish is warm tropical waters, there are especially many of them off the coast of Australia and Oceania.
Transparent bodies of pale blue color are invisible in the warm water of quiet sandy bays. The small size, namely, up to forty centimeters in diameter, also does not attract much attention. Meanwhile, the poison of one individual is enough to send about fifty people to heaven. Unlike their phosphorescent counterparts, sea wasps can change direction of movement, easily finding careless swimmers. The poison that enters the victim’s body causes paralysis of smooth muscles, including the respiratory tract. Being in shallow water, a person has a small chance of being saved, but even if medical assistance was provided in a timely manner and the person did not die from suffocation, deep ulcers form at the sites of the “bites”, causing severe pain and not healing for many days.
Dangerous little ones - Irukandji jellyfish
Tiny Irukandji jellyfish, described by Australian Jack Barnes in 1964, have a similar effect on the human body, with the only difference being that the degree of damage is not so deep. He, as a true scientist who stands up for science, experienced the effect of poison not only on himself, but also on his own son. Symptoms of poisoning - severe headache and muscle pain, cramps, nausea, drowsiness, loss of consciousness - are not fatal in themselves, but the main risk is a sharp increase in blood pressure in a person who has personally met Irukandji. If the victim has problems with the cardiovascular system, then the likelihood of death is quite high. The size of this baby is about 4 centimeters in diameter, but its thin spindle-shaped tentacles reach 30-35 centimeters in length.
Bright beauty - Physalia jellyfish
Another very dangerous inhabitant of tropical waters for humans is Physalia - the Sea Boat. Her umbrella is painted in bright colors: blue, violet, purple and floats on the surface of the water, so it is visible from afar. Entire colonies of attractive sea “flowers” attract gullible tourists, beckoning them to pick them up as quickly as possible. This is where the main danger lurks: long, up to several meters, tentacles, equipped with a huge number of stinging cells, are hidden under the water. The poison acts very quickly, causing severe burns, paralysis and disruption of the cardiovascular, respiratory and central nervous systems. If the meeting took place at great depth or simply far from the shore, then its outcome could be the saddest.
Giant Jellyfish Nomura - Lion's Mane
The real giant is Nomura Bell, who is also called Lion's Mane for some resemblance to the king of beasts. The diameter of the dome can reach two meters, and the weight of such a “baby” reaches two hundred kilos. Lives on Far East, in the coastal waters of Japan, off the coast of Korea and China.
A huge hairy ball, falling into fishing nets, damages them, causing damage to fishermen and striking them themselves when they try to free themselves. Even if their venom is not fatal to humans, meetings with the “Lion’s Mane” rarely take place in a friendly atmosphere.
Hairy Cyanea - the largest jellyfish in the ocean
Cyanea is considered one of the largest jellyfish. Living in cold waters, it reaches its largest size. The most gigantic specimen was discovered and described by scientists at the end of the 19th century in North America: its dome was 230 centimeters in diameter, and the length of the tentacles turned out to be 36.5 meters. There are a lot of tentacles, they are collected in eight groups, each of which has from 60 to 150 pieces. It is characteristic that the dome of the jellyfish is divided into eight segments, representing a kind of octagonal star. Fortunately, they do not live in the Azov and Black Seas, so you don’t have to worry about them when going to the sea to relax.
Depending on the size, the color also changes: large specimens are painted bright purple or purple, smaller ones - in orange, pink or beige. Cyaneas live in surface waters, rarely descending into the depths. The poison is not dangerous to humans, causing only an unpleasant burning sensation and blisters on the skin.
Using jellyfish in cooking
The number of jellyfish living in the seas and oceans Globe truly enormous, and not a single species is in danger of extinction. Their use is limited by mining capabilities, but people have long been using beneficial features jellyfish for medicinal purposes and enjoy them taste qualities in cooking. In Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries, jellyfish have long been eaten, calling them “crystal meat”. Its benefits are due to the high content of protein, albumin, vitamins and amino acids, and microelements. And when properly prepared, it has a very refined taste.
Jellyfish “meat” is added to salads and desserts, sushi and rolls, soups and main courses. In a world where population growth is steadily threatening the onset of famine, especially in underdeveloped countries, protein from jellyfish can be a good help in solving this issue.
Jellyfish in medicine
The use of jellyfish for the manufacture of medicines is typical, to a greater extent, in those countries where their use as food has long ceased to be a subject of surprise. For the most part, these are countries located in coastal areas where jellyfish are directly harvested.
In medicine, preparations containing processed jellyfish bodies are used to treat infertility, obesity, baldness and gray hair. The poison extracted from stinging cells helps to cope with diseases of the ENT organs and normalize blood pressure.
Modern scientists are struggling to find medicine, capable of defeating cancerous tumors, without excluding the possibility that jellyfish will also help in this difficult fight.
