Did You Know?
- The Irukandji Jellyfish is a type of Box Jellyfish and is thought to be the most venomous animal in the world
- This Jellyfish actually has a syndrome named after them, the Irukandji Syndrome, which is caused by their sting
- Unlike other jellies, this particular one has stingers on their tentacles AND on their bell (aka: their body)
- The deadly Irukandji Jellyfish is incredibly small and very difficult to see
What Happens If I Am Stung?
If you get stung by this species of Box Jellyfish, you will want to seek medical attention as soon as possible…after all, you may have just been stung by the most venomous animal on the planet. Typically 30 minutes after the sting you will start to feel the full effect of the venom. Symptoms of an Irukandji Jelly sting include but are not limited to severe headaches, backaches, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, sweating, anxiety, hypertension, pulmonary endema and tachycardia. Sounds pleasant doesn’t it? The good news is these symptoms could start disappearing in about 4 hours, however, it may take more than two weeks to recover completely (that is the bad news). Interestingly enough, due to the small size and placement of the stingers, you may not realize that you have been stung by this Jellyfish. Essentially, the sting itself feels much like a mosquito bite…but with much worse consequences.
How Big Is the Deadly Box Jellyfish?
Believe it or not this incredibly venomous creature typically has a bell length between 5 and 10 millimetres (0.20 – 0.39 inches). Although their body is quite small their tentacles have been known to grow as long as 1 metre (3 feet), which is pretty impressive given their small size. This does make swimming in jelly infested waters a little more dangerous though as these tentacles are usually covered with millions of tiny stingers. To make matters worse, the Irukandji Jellyfish is one of the few Box Jellies that have the ability to actually fire their stingers from the tips of their tentacles. That’s right, Mother Nature essentially gave the most poisonous animal a gun, which really isn’t fair for the small fish and other prey in the area.
