Irukandji - tyrant jellyfish: description, habitat and danger to humans

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

Jellyfish attract us with their extraordinary shape, somewhat reminiscent of aliens from another universe. Partly it is. After all, their homeland is a world very different from ours - a bottomless and boundless ocean. And looking at these domed creatures, you involuntarily forget that many of them pose a real threat to humans.

For example, the Irukandji is a jellyfish that can kill a person with just a touch. And this despite the fact that she rarely grows more than a nail on a man's index finger. Agree, this is a very dangerous swimming neighbor. So let's find out a little more about her, because this knowledge can save someone's life.

New species of jellyfish

At the beginning of the 20th century, Australian doctors faced an unusual problem. Aboriginal people began to often turn to them, complaining of strange burning pains and nausea. After examining the patients, the doctors came to the conclusion that an unknown animal toxin that got into the blood through the skin was to blame. This answer was prompted by the scars on the body of the victims. That's justwhat creature could leave them?

A little later, the doctors guessed that jellyfish, hitherto unknown to science, were to blame. Academician Hugo Flecker promised to find the "criminal" in 1952. Indeed, he soon introduced a new species to the world - the Irukandji. Medusa, by the way, was named after the very tribe of Australian Aborigines, whose representatives turned to doctors. This name caught on very quickly, and even today the scientific community uses it.

Habitat

Half a century ago, this type of jellyfish could only be found off the coast of Australia. This is due to the fact that these little beasts do not tolerate cold water, and therefore never crossed the niche allotted to them. However, global warming has brought many changes to the marine abode. Now dangerous predators have spread much further than before. This has led to many myths about the Irukandji. “A jellyfish in the Red Sea stings people,” such headlines at one time were full of travel forums. But the truth is, this jellyfish hasn't gotten that far yet. Indeed, in fact, she moves at a speed of 4 km / h and is simply unable to sail far from her native shores without falling into the cold currents of the ocean.

Appearance

Irukandji is a jellyfish, the description of which should begin with its size. Indeed, against the background of her fellows, she primarily stands out for tiny proportions. So, the diameter of the dome of a jellyfish ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 cm. Only occasionally mature individuals can grow up to 3 cm in width.

AlsoAll Irukandji have four tentacles. At the same time, their length can reach impressive sizes. For example, scientists have found jellyfish whose tentacles were over one meter long. True, such giants are very rare.

And yet, even the short "legs" of the Irukandji are capable of inflicting a mortal wound on the enemy. And all because they have stinging cells, which contain the main weapon of jellyfish - paralyzing toxins. For example: the poison of this sea beast is 100 times stronger than the poison of a cobra.

The habits of a dangerous marine life

Irukandji is a jellyfish accustomed to lead a quiet life. She spends most of the day drifting along the sea currents. This helps her save energy, which she will later use to digest food. She feeds exclusively on plankton, since the rest of the inhabitants of the ocean are simply too tough for her.

It is noteworthy that the jellyfish has the beginnings of eyes. This helps her navigate in space and, perhaps, vaguely distinguish between the objects around her (the vision of a jellyfish is still poorly understood, and therefore it can only be judged hypothetically). And yet the ability to see the dark and light areas of the ocean is a vital function. Indeed, thanks to this, the jellyfish can remain at the optimal depth for it.

Brave experimenter Jack Barnes

For a long time, the bite of this animal remained unexplored, as scientists were simply afraid of the Irukandji. Jellyfish was a white spot in the world of science until Dr. Jack Barnes took it up. It was he who in 1964 held a boldan experiment that revealed the whole truth about the action of the toxin.

Barnes let himself be stung by a jellyfish. Despite the terrible pain, he consistently described all the sensations received after the bite. Thanks to this, doctors finally learned the speed of the spread of poison through the blood and how exactly it manifests itself in the body of the victim.

Bite symptoms

The entry of toxin into the human blood leads to excitation of the nervous system. First of all, the area affected by the Irukandji begins to hurt. Then headaches, nausea, muscle spasms and acute burning in the lumbar region may occur. If the action of the poison is not suppressed, then hypertension, vomiting, and even pulmonary edema are possible.

It is precisely because of such consequences that the Irukandji is dangerous. Jellyfish (her photo is in the article) causes fear among many tourists. On the beaches of Australia there are posters with its description. This is necessary so that vacationers know their enemy by sight and avoid contact with him. After all, several cases are known when the bite of this marine animal led to the death of a person.