The Dangers Of Lions Mane Jellyfish Stings
If you go near a big water reservoir you will surely notice that there are a lot of jelly-like creatures along the coast and in the water. They are called jellyfishes and are the creatures that inhabit all the oceans. But behind their beauty and attractiveness lies a danger to the health of people. Of course you can’t expect all of the jellyfishes to be dangerous, but many of them have a poisonous sting which can cause harm. But most of them are safe. One of the biggest jellyfishes known to men is the Lion’s mane jellyfish that inhabits the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic oceans. The greatest Lion’s mane jellyfish found had a 2.3m cap diameter and tentacles that were 36.5 long.
However despite their big size their sting isn’t fatal. There hasn’t been a reported case in which a person has died, because of a sting from a Lion’s mane jellyfish. But of course if you get stung by such a jellyfish you should consider visiting a doctor as quickly as possible, because you will be feeling some strong pain and the place where you got stung will change its color to red.
Of course meaning that the largest specimen found had a body of 2.5m diameter doesn’t mean that all of the Lion’s mane jellyfishes are so huge. Those who live in the northern parts of the Earth globe usually are the biggest and can reach some big measures, but most of the kinds who inhabit the not so far away to the north seas and oceans usually reach to 50-60cm in body diameter and the tentacles of the larger ones usually reach up to 30m. in length. The Lion’s mane jellyfish has very sticky tentacles which are grouped into eight clusters and each of those clusters contains more than 100 tentacles which are set in rows.
At the moment the Lion’s mane jelly is considered the longest animal on Earth with the length of the largest specimen at 36.5m it is longer than the great Blue Whale which is currently known as the largest animal in the world. Their bodies are usually shaped like an eight-pointed star. From the center of their body comes out an array of colorful arms. The color of the Lion’s mane jellyfish depends on its age. While the bigger ones usually have a dark purple color the smaller ones usually have a dark yellow – light orange color. The Lion’s mane jellyfish mainly feeds on plankton, small fishes and moon jellies, but it also has a lot of enemies like sea turtles, larger fishes and other jellyfishes to which it is considered a prey.
Lion’s mane jellyfishes usually reside near the surface of the ocean and they don’t go under 20m in depth. They mainly move thanks to the currents in seas and oceans, but their bodies also pulsate slowly moving them forward. The time of the year when it is most likely to see a Lion’s mane jellyfish is at the end of the summer and the early autumn when their flocks are greater in size and the ocean currents carry them near the coast.
Do you think the lions mane jellyfish is cool? Learn more about the lion’s mane jellyfish at JellyfishFacts.Net and don’t miss the section on jellyfish stings.