Known as the world's largest jellyfish, lion's mane jellyfish, It is one of the most dangerous species of its kind and in the ocean, its size is impressively large and that is why it causes panic when you see it.
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Appearance of the lion's mane jellyfish
This cold water jellyfish looks like common jellyfish:
- circular umbrella.
- Tentacles.
The difference between this jellyfish and the rest is that where the tentacles begin, they divide into eight parts from which thousands of tentacles are born, thus creating the shape of a lion's mane.
The tentacles of the lion's mane jellyfish can measure approximately fifty meters long, which makes this animal about eighty meters long, thanks to this size this jellyfish causes a lot of fear and impression.
The colors of this jellyfish have a lot to do with the Taxonomic classification of animals, the lion's mane jellyfish will have the color of its ancestor, genetics and DNA play an important role in terms of size, color and appearance, although the common color is red, purple or yellow jellyfish can be seen.
There are small animals that live inside this jellyfish, they use it as protection against other animals, an example of an animal that does this action is the shrimp.
It has poisonous tentacles like other jellyfish that are used to immobilize their prey, among them we can name other jellyfish such as the Sea wasp, fish and plankton, her technique is to paralyze herself in the ocean and wait for these animals to come to her, making them see that her tentacles are a safe place to escape from other dangers.
The lion's mane jellyfish was first observed in 1870 on a beach in Massachusetts, making a big impression on the people who were there.
Veneno
The venom of the lion's mane jellyfish does not represent a mortal danger to man, however it is harmful and painful, since the venom can last in the sting for a long time and longer if it is not treated immediately. The poison goes directly to the heart system of the human being and if he has a heart condition, the sting of this jellyfish can be fatal, although its poison is not compared to the poison of the killer jellyfish.
The sensation left by this jellyfish after its sting is burning, itching, rashes, whether the person has sensitive skin or not, a home remedy that can be applied before arriving at a health center is white vinegar, this relieves the pain from the sting of the lion's mane jellyfish.
As for the ocean, there are many species that are immune to the poison of this jellyfish and manage to live in its tentacles seeking protection and also feed on the prey that the jellyfish attracts.
Food
With a fairly balanced diet, it can be said that the lion's mane jellyfish feeds on everything that is entangled in its tentacles, its favorite food is plankton, the amount of food is incalculable due to its large size.
Using their tentacles, they expel the poison by capturing their prey, immobilizing it and taking it to the center of the umbrella, which is where their gastric system is located.
Zooplankton is also a food for lion's mane jellyfish, such as crabs, lobsters, krill, small fish, pink jellyfish.
Feeding during the breeding period is important, so that in this way they can have stronger and larger offspring.
Reproduction of the Lion's Mane Jellyfish
The reproduction of the lion's mane jellyfish varies according to the temperature of the water and the food that they eat during the week of reproduction. Science ensures that these jellyfish are born as larvae in warm waters and after several weeks they migrate to warm waters, where they finish their growth and wait for their reproduction period.
The act of reproduction takes place in cold waters, the lion's mane jellyfish are sexual and asexual, this is because some of them, depending on their genetics, can develop both sexes and at the time of reproduction they can expel eggs and sperm, which are fertilized and transported by the adult jellyfish to warm waters awaiting birth.
This means that this jellyfish does not need a partner, it is very capable of reproducing any offspring, however this represents a problem for the jellyfish since even though it reproduces hundreds of larvae, at least half of them die.
The lion's mane jellyfish also usually die due to lack of food since their size makes it difficult for them to eat well and this is the reason why more than half of their young die, it is important to note that this jellyfish reproduces only once in his short life.
Distribution and habitat
Due to its large size, the Lion's mane jellyfish does not live on the coasts or beaches like other jellyfish, it prefers to live at the bottom of the ocean below two thousand to five thousand meters deep, it goes to the surface of the water only when its life cycle is going to end and this to feed other animals which has a lot to do with the life cycle.
For decades they have investigated why this species of jellyfish makes this trip before dying, but they have not yet found the answer to this question, this being another of the secrets of the giant jellyfish, so it can be said that the lion's mane jellyfish lives in the uncharted sea abyss.
To find this specimen you must go to the seas of Australia, both the Pacific and the Atlantic, this type of jellyfish lives there and it is where scientists have been able to carry out all the relevant studies. Normally in the northern part of Australia, it is where they stay for a few months, having a limited life time of twelve months, that is, one year, this will also depend on the size of it.
In the northern part of Australia the largest lion's mane jellyfish have been obtained, which as mentioned above measure eighty meters while in the southern part of Australia the lion's mane jellyfish are a little smaller and can last up to twenty-four months , but still giant jellyfish remain in this area of Australia.
Behavior of the Lion's Mane Jellyfish
This jellyfish has a behavior similar to that of the Humpback Whale, they are solitary and this makes them live in the depths of the sea, due to their size they use the strong currents of the ocean to move and with the help of these currents the jellyfish can move horizontally in the sea, since the way to move through itself is vertically.
So that the current does not affect your gastric system, they contract and expand the crown and this creates an air pocket, which does not allow the strong current to enter your gastric system.
Normally this jellyfish is accompanied when it has young, once their young are about three months old they separate, become solitary again and thus await their death.
Its behavior with other species of jellyfish is aggressive, since for it these are foods with many nutrients.
This jellyfish in the process of reproduction, as already mentioned, expels eggs and sperm into the ocean, sometimes this can generate the mixture of jellyfish species since their reproduction period is the same for all, but the lion's mane jellyfish when this happens eats the larvae that do not belong to its lineage.
Conservation
Our Galapagos turtles , They are one of the strongest predators of this jellyfish when they have not yet reached their full size, being this a marine animal that reproduces in enormous quantities, it is not yet in danger of extinction and they have not yet designed a plan for the conservation of the same.