Oh jellyfish, we, the human race thank you.

[Finless]

[edit]Rats, I missed a comma in the title!

I recorded and watched Jellyfish Invasion at about 3am this morning (I only mention the time as an excuse should I have misremembered any of the facts). It will be repeated throughout this week and is in the Discovery/Nat Geo section of the Sky menu.

It is thought that jellyfish have been around since life evolved in the seas and it is my opinion that is why our slimy ancestors moved onto land to avoid being stung so often.

It was quite a disturbing program; for a start I didn't realise there were so many dead zones arond our oceans.

Box jellyfish which have the most deadly toxin of all poisonous things (because unlike snakes etc it doesn't just target nervous function or dissolving skin or heart failure ...... it goes for the lot) also have eyes. The toxin actually explodes the red blood cells into contact with! In a test the box jellyfish kept knocking over white poles in a tank, could avoid brown poles (colour of mangrove roots where it goes to hunt) and wouldn't go near red poles.

Jellyfish (maybe only some?) actively hunt.

When under stress from raised sea level temps, lack of O2 they go into reproductive overdrive (maybe release overdrive is a more appropriate phrase?).

The Japanese have been suffering very badly from one type of jellyfish (up to 3 mtrs across the 'dome') and fishermen have been hauling them up in nets and cutting them up and mashing them up with high speed trawls but it turns out that death causes these type of jellyfish to release all their eggs and sperm as a 'last resort survival tactic'; millions and millions of them.

In short, we're doomed!

Killer jellyfish population explosion warning - Telegraph
The warning comes in a film Nature Shock: Jellyfish Invasion to be screened by Channel 5 on Tues February 12. It focuses on the change in behaviour patterns ...
www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/02/08/eajelly108.xml - 41k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

Jellyfish invasion shuts Mediterranean beaches - Telegraph
Skip to article: Jellyfish invasion shuts Mediterranean beaches; Skip to Telegraph News navigation; Skip to Telegraph main section navigation ...
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1525957/Jellyfish-invasion-shuts-Mediterranean-beaches.html - 35k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

18 Aug 2006 ... Huge hordes of jellyfish are plaguing Mediterranean beaches, stinging tens of thousands of vacationers. Experts blame the invasion on ...
news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/08/060818-jellyfish-spain.html - 27k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

Jellyfish invasion in full swing ::: Pink Tentacle
6 Oct 2006 ... Besides coverage of eco-tech, there you’ll find the magic in nature (jellyfish invasion!), in technology (walking partner robot! ...
www.pinktentacle.com/2006/10/jellyfish-invasion-in-full-swing/ - 38k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

Hundreds Stung In Jellyfish Invasion - Local News Story - KNSD ...
SAN DIEGO -- A warning for beachgoers -- a rare jellyfish has made its way to area beaches and so far, hundreds of people have been stung.
www.nbcsandiego.com/news/13843118/detail.html - 65k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

Jellyfish Invasion | Popular Science
4 Jun 2008 ... Between massive swarms and habitat invasions, jellyfish are changing ecosystems, stinging beachgoers, and causing millions of dollars’ worth ...
www.popsci.com/environment/article/2008-06/jellyfish-invasion - 68k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Merseyside | Bathers warned of jellyfish ...
Bathers warned of jellyfish invasion. Jellyfish. Jellyfish have been attracted to coastal areas by the warm weather. Lifeguards in Merseyside have reported ...
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/3124375.stm - 30k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

Jellyfish invasion wipes out fish farm - Nature, Environment - The ...
22 Nov 2007 ... Northern Ireland's only salmon farm has been wiped out by a jellyfish invasion, with more than 100000 fish, worth £1m, being killed.
www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/jellyfish-invasion-wipes-out-fish-farm-759008.html - 79k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

[Finless]

[Finless]

Oh no! The jellyfish invasion might mean everyone will be diving in a FFM in the near future ................... FFMs might even become DIR!

FFS, there is little enough that I can claim a bit of exclusivity for in this life. :sob:





Still, maybe this is a business opportunity? When I used to dive I had no skin directly exposed to the water and hence any stingy things.

[MonkeyPony]

Jellyfish are disgusting creatures and have no right to take up space in the oceans.

Kill the bloody lot of 'em I say!

Cool photo though

[Mike Cunningham]

I can not look ...

[Finless]

Originally Posted by Mike Cunningham

I can not look ...

He is taking it up to the surface boat where they tag it by looping a strap around the stalky bit of the jellyfish just under the dome and before the stingy bits.

The diver may as well have a bit of fun whilst taking the risk of being stung?



Apparently these jellyfish (the ones mentioned ref Japan) follow the zoo-plankton (sp?) into the depths at night and back to the surface in daylight.

Nobody really knew that much about jellyfish and what prompted the swarms to occasionally occur (once every 40 years).

Please remember I am quoting from memory from a program I watched at 3am so "don't quote me". Having said that, the scientists involved seemed to be in no doubt that jellyfish swarms are going to be on the increase due to pollution/dead zones and temp fluctuations. It would seem that jellyfish can live in almost any conditions (inc very cold water).

All we really need know is to find that jellyfish are tasty and nutritious or can be used instead of fossil fuels or are the missing ingredient for cold nuclear fusion or are really good to have sex with .................

[grazie42]

Originally Posted by Finless

All we really need know is to find that jellyfish are tasty and nutritious or can be used instead of fossil fuels or are the missing ingredient for cold nuclear fusion or are really good to have sex with .................

Koreans eat jellyfish...enough said!

[String]

Im in the "kill them all" camp (jellyfish that is not koreans).

In fact anything that can hurt me i want dead so that includes wasps.

I HATE jellyfish in the sea HATE HATE HATE....

Edit:- unless its the moon ones that cant sting me.