Jellyfish attract us with their extraordinary shape, somewhat reminiscent of aliens from another universe. Partly it is. After all, their homeland is a world that is very different from ours - a bottomless and limitless ocean. And looking at these domed creatures, you involuntarily forget that many of them pose a real threat to humans.
For example, Irukanji is a jellyfish that can kill a person with just a touch. And this despite the fact that it rarely grows more than a nail on the index finger of a man. Agree, this is a very dangerous swimming neighbor. And therefore, let's learn a little more about her, because this knowledge can save someone's life.
A new kind of jellyfish
At the beginning of the 20th century, Australian doctors faced an unusual problem. Aboriginal people began to turn to them often, complaining of strange burning pains and nausea. After examining the patients, the doctors came to the conclusion that the unknown animal toxin that got into the blood through the skin was to blame. Scars on the body of the victims prompted them to this answer. But what creature could leave them?
A little later, doctors realized that the blame for all the jellyfish, hitherto unknown to science. The first to find the "criminal" was promised by academician Hugo Flecker in 1952. And indeed, he soon introduced the world to a new species - Irukanji. Medusa, by the way, was named after the same tribe of Australian Aborigines, whose representatives turned to doctors. This name took root very quickly, and even today the scientific community uses it.
Habitat
Half a century ago, this species of jellyfish could only be found off the coast of Australia. This is due to the fact that these small beasts do not tolerate cold water, and therefore never crossed the niche assigned to them. However, global warming has brought many changes to the marine abode. Now, dangerous predators have spread far further than before. This led to the emergence of many myths about Irukanji. “Jellyfish in the Red Sea stings people, ” such headlines at one time were full of tourist forums. But the truth is, this jellyfish has not yet reached this far. Indeed, in fact, it travels at a speed of 4 km / h and is simply unable to sail far from its native coast without falling into the cold currents of the ocean.
Appearance
Irukanji is a jellyfish whose description should begin with its size. Indeed, against the background of her brothers, she primarily stands out in tiny proportions. So, the diameter of the dome of the jellyfish ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 cm. Only occasionally mature individuals can grow up to 3 cm in width.
Also, all Irukanji have four tentacles. Moreover, their length can reach impressive sizes. For example, scientists found jellyfish whose tentacles were more than one meter in length. True, such giants are a rarity.
Nevertheless, even short “legs” of the Irukanji can inflict a mortal wound on the enemy. And all because stinging cells are located on them, 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 inhabitant
Irukanji is a jellyfish accustomed to a calm lifestyle. She spends most of the day drifting along sea currents. This helps her save energy, which she subsequently exposes on the assimilation of 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 jellyfish have the rudiments of the eyes. This helps her navigate in space and, perhaps, vaguely distinguish between the objects surrounding her (the vision of the jellyfish is still poorly understood, and therefore it can only be judged hypothetically). Nevertheless, the ability to see dark and light sections of the ocean is a vital function. Indeed, thanks to this, the jellyfish can remain at the optimum depth for it.
Brave experimenter Jack Barnes
For a long time, the bite of this animal remained unexplored, since scientists were simply afraid of Irukanji. Jellyfish was a white spot in the world of science, until Dr. Jack Barnes took up it. It was he who in 1964 conducted a bold experiment, which revealed the whole truth about the action of the toxin.
Barnes let the jellyfish sting himself. Despite the terrible pain, he consistently described all the sensations obtained after the bite. Thanks to this, the doctors finally learned the speed of the poison’s spread through the blood and how it manifests itself in the body of the victim.
