June 19, 2023
By Aswirbaad Das
A fish’s anatomy is centred around its backbone, but since jellyfish don’t have one, they can’t be deemed fish! They are invertebrates belonging to the phylum Cnidaria, with harpoon-like stinging cells called cnidocytes used to capture prey.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
There are over 2,000 species of jellyfish, and scientists believe more than 300,000 variants are yet to be discovered! Among the known ones, only 70 of them are known to be dangerous to humans, while some are even bioluminescent.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Believe it or not, scientists have ascertained that these bobbly creatures have been drifting in our oceans for around 500–700 million years, which is roughly three times the age of the first dinosaurs!
Image Source: Pexels
That’s relatively high compared to the human body, which has 60% water! Jellyfish don’t have bones, brains or hearts. If washed ashore, their extremely thin gelatinous bodies can evaporate in the air in a few hours!
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Jellyfish never cease to fascinate! During the stage of life when they are known as polyps, jellyfish can asexually create clones of themselves through a process called ‘budding’, which then mature into adults over time.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
The size of a jellyfish could vary from a few inches to over 100 feet. The lion’s mane jellyfish, considered the biggest in the world, has been recorded to have tentacles over 120 feet long, which is even longer than the length of a blue whale!
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Jellyfish are mostly loners and like to swim by themselves. However, with converging ocean currents or a feeding spot in sight, they come together, forming a ‘bloom’, ‘smack’ or a ‘smack of jellies’!
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons