J for Jellyfish
We all like jelly, right? At least when we were kids. Oh, for American readers, jelly is not jam to us, although I understand it is to you. Jelly for us is a dessert, usually served with ice-cream, especially after you’ve had your tonsils removed.
Jellyfish are amazingly beautiful creatures. Translucent and in some cases colourful, gliding gracefully through the water. Some are also deadly.
Their venom is considered to be among the most deadly in the world, containing toxins that attack the heart, nervous system, and skin cells. It is so overpoweringly painful, human victims have been known to go into shock and drown or die of heart failure before even reaching shore. Survivors can experience considerable pain for weeks and often have significant scarring where the tentacles made contact.
Read More: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/box-jellyfish/
I once worked for a lovely woman who insisted on doing a lot of ocean swimming. Every year there is a Rottnest Channel Swim and Ms X loves to enter. One year she came back with some very nasty injuries from jellyfish invading her wetsuit. The wounds took forever to heal.
While various species of jellyfish are found around the world, many of them harmless, the box jellyfish are specific to the costal areas of the northern regions of Australia and the Indo-Pacific.
At the beach Darwin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I love Darwin. Beautful crystal-blue sea water as far as the eye can see. But deadly to swim in a lot of the time, sadly. Darwin waters are home to our friends, the box jellyfish.
Box jellyfish have developed the ability to move, rather than just drift. According to National Geographic, this species has very sophisticated eyes but scientists are unsure how they process what they see as they have no central nervous system. They just have an amazing ability to attack OUR central nervous system. Perhaps they are jealous?
We also have rather a lot of blue jellyfish. Not as deadly as the box jellyfish, but still rather unpleasant. Thousands of people get stung every year. Unfortunately poor tourists often do not know to get away from them. Bondi Beach see many tourists stung each year. Children can be particularly distressed, of course.
Blue jellyfish
Jellyfish have been around for 600 million years. Clearly they are very good at surviving.
If you plan on visiting Australia or you are a new arrival, just watch out for these pretty little local inhabitants of our waters.
You do NOT want to go home covered in the sort of wounds they can inflict! Just google images for box jellyfish and you are sure to find some pictures you would NOT like to look like!
K will be for Koala – you think they are cuddly, don’t you? You watched the Qantas ads? Wait and see. 
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I think I’ll stand and watch the ocean…
I love watching Jellyfish floating . . . in a aquarium. When I’m swimming, I don’t want ANY sea creatures brushing up against me.
They say swimming with the dolphins is wonderful though! How about those?
Other than dolphins, I agree wholeheartedly!
Someone once made the comment to me everything in Australi is trying ti kill you…hmmmmmm…maybe he had a point.
I do hope when you mention Koalas you won’t leave out the Drop Bears…
Would you like to guest post the koala’s? Or would that make you homesick?
Oh my – a guest post…I’d be honoured. Are you sure ?? You never know what i may come up with…like the drop bears. Oh how I love Aussie and its ways…And I am ALWAYS a little bit homesick.
How frustrating to have such a beautiful ocean and be able to swim carefree in it! I always wonder why creatures are given such bad stuff, why do jellyfish have such a strong poison, what do they have to protect themselves from and why are they important enough to merit it? I suppose they have a role in the circle but then why so many of them in one place? I do ask daft questions when I think aloud!
Yes, very frustrating, Gilly. The couple of times I’ve been up there, I really wanted to take the plunge, but not safe to do so at all! Well, not without a lot of protective covering and that sort of defeats the purpose.
I don’t know the answers to your questions re their purpose – all I know is I stay away from them!
I love the sea and jelly ;D I’m glad there are SOME disadvantages to living in Australia !!
haha !!! don’t mind snakes but spiders….arghhhh
Hate jelly, like jam (with cream, on scones please!)
We even get the little tinkers in Hartlepool marina sometimes….ugh!
Shhhhhhhhhh on the jam and cream please – I’m trying to avoid all things I shouldn’t eat……. *sigh*
I´m glad I´m not a fan of the sea!! Jellyfish are scary!
Oh, Sami, I LOVE the sea! Not so keen on jellyfish! Luckily in the southern parts of Australia we rarely see any. I’ve seen the odd one washed up on the beach over the years, but even then I THINK we only have relatively harmless ones down here.
Jellyfish are amazing, but I give them a wide swerve!
Interesting Australians also call Jam, Jam and not jelly.. I used to think PEanut butter and jelly sandwhiches actually meant jelly! One of the benefits of blogging
I used to think they meant jelly too, and wondered how on earth anyone could make a sandwich with jelly in it. Can’t remember when or how I found out it was peanut butter and jam!
How are your plants? Any recovery?