Wild Fact #839 – This Fact Might Sting a Bit! – Jellyfish
Today’s Wild Fact is inspired by one of our faithful readers, Larissa, who inquisitively asked about Jellyfish last week. So without further ado, I present to you the magnificent Jellyfish!
Of course, we have all heard about these interesting creatures that float around our oceans. For the record they float around since they don’t actually have any bones! The jellyfish is composed of; yup, you guessed it, a jelly-like substance called mesoglea. This jelly substance is protected by a layer of skin which is only one cell thick. Just so you know, that is not very thick! The other interesting note about the body of the jellyfish is the fact that it is composed of 90% water.
One of the most prominent features of the jellyfish has to be their stinging tentacles. The length of these tentacles vary depending on the species of jellyfish, however, they usually all serve the same purpose. Basically, these tentacles catch and sting their prey! Hey, a jellyfish has to eat, you know. There are various types of cells on the skin of the tentacles including some that sting, some that stick and some that grip. They have more gadgets on their arms than Inspector Gadget himself! So what do they use these deadly tentacles to catch? Well, the jellyfish is very efficient and effective at preying on fish and invertebrates. What about humans? Can they hurt us? Not to scare you but some of the box jellyfish in Australia do have powerful venom that can be deadly to humans. The good news is that the venom in a jellyfish is created in their tentacles so you are free to touch the top part of the interesting sea creature. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t recommend you rushing out to touch a deadly box jellyfish but you could do it!
Jellyfish Fast Fact: The jellyfish is not actually a fish. In fact it is categorized in its own class. That just goes to show you how different and unique these animals are.
