Sciences de la volaille, de la pêche et de la faune
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A Short Note on Jellyfish

Ajay Valiyaveettil Salimkumar, Aloysious Amal Andrews

Jellyfish form a large family of planktonic creatures, and recent studies show that there are at least 4,000 that have already been discovered. Considering the vastness of the oceans, scientists believe that this number is barely a fraction of what is actually in the sea. Even with all of these species around the world, only 70 are considered to be a threat to humans. Some of those dangerous species include the Malo kingi and the Chironex Fleckeri, which are both in the box jellyfish family. The venom is potent and painful enough to kill. There are some types that are even kept as pets, primarily for their inability to sting their owner. The most common jellyfish to keep as a pet is the moon jellyfish, which lives for about 15 months.

These animals have tentacles that are equipped with tiny stinging cells that are activated when these fish when they launch a sting attack on their prey. These tentacles are used to paralyze and stun the prey that the jellyfish stings. These tentacles are found hanging from the jellyfish’s body. Though these tentacles are controlled by the nervous system, the sting is rarely fatal. Most box jellyfish have strong enough venom to execute the victim. The purpose of the tentacles is to stop the movement of its prey, though they are also used as a way to defend the animal.