Irukandji Jellyfish, The Most Deadly Jellyfish, Tiny And Fatal

Meet the Irukandji Jellyfish, a really tiny but dangerous and fatal Jellyfish. This one cubic centimeter jellyfish is found in the ocean waters around Australia, inducing a condition known as Irukandji syndrome. Two different types of Irukandji Jellyfish exist, Carukia Barnesi and Malo Kingi. Irukandji syndrome was first documented in 1952 by Hugo Flecker, named after the Irukandkji people who inhabit the coast just north of Cairns, in Queensland. The first species of Irukandji Jellyfish, Carukia Barnesi was identified by Dr. Jack Barnes in 1964. Wanting to prove that this jellyfish had caused these symptoms, Dr Barnes stung himself by it along with his son and a local life guard.

The Irukandji Jellyfish has four tentacles, covered with clumps of stingers reaching 2 – 35 centimeters. The stingers look like rings composed of red dots around them as well as the bell, or main body, of the Jellyfish. One of the distinctive features of the Irukandji Jellyfish is the stings attached to it’s bell. The Irukandji Jellyfish, being small and fragile to keep and breed in a lab, has be the subject of very little research. The venom of the Irukandji is one hundred times more potent then a cobras venom and more then one thousand times more power then the venom of a tarantula and can catch and disable small prey incredibly quickly.

Unlike normal jellyfish that have stingers only on their tentacles, the Irukandji also has stingers at the end of its bell. Imagine a long sock that has been turned inside out and is coiled along the lines of a spring. On the stingers being triggered, they are pulled the right side out and uncoil in a flash and launch themselves straight into the flesh of any predator that touches the jellyfish. Microscopic stingers, in the millions, then release venom along the length. When the wounded predator pulls itself away, the stingers are ripped off from the jellyfish’s tentacles and remain buried in the predator’s body. One of the things that distinguish the Irukandji Jellyfish from other jellyfish is that it can fire stingers from its tips to inject the venom. There is no known reason yet for this unique phenomenon.

Symptoms of Irukandji Syndrome can including burning sensation at the area of contact, nausea, headaches, vomiting, drop in blood pressure and heart rate, sweating , intense and severely painful muscle cramps in the legs and arms as well as pain in the back and kidneys. Divers beware, the Irukandji Jellyfish!

The symptoms on an Irukandji sting come about in 4 to 30 hours, but may take up to two weeks to resolve completely. There is no known anti-venom and pain management is the treatment for this painful condition. Patients have been known to ask the doctor to kill them as they pain is so intense. Your best strategy to avoid this is to avoid the Irukandji. Be mindful where you are swimming and diving and of the seasons and water conditions for swimmers beware, the Irukandji Jellyfish!

Want to learn more about the Irukandji Jellyfish, including how to deal with a Jellyfish Sting? Check out JellyfishFacts.Net for all you need to know about Jellyfish.