In this article we will introduce you to the largest representative of the jellyfish family - the lion's mane jellyfish or, as it is also called, the giant Arctic jellyfish.
Some representatives of this species have a bell size of almost two meters. The habitat of these creatures is the cool waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans In addition, it can be found in the Baltic and North Seas. A lot of giant Arctic jellyfish have chosen the east coast of Great Britain as their habitat.
The body of the lion's mane jellyfish is 94 percent water. She has a bell consisting of two layers of fabric, hemispherical in shape, the edges of which are figured. In addition, the bell is divided into parts, there are eight in total. There are depressions at the base of each lobe. These lobes contain the sense organs of the jellyfish. These are the sense of smell and light receptors.
As a rule, the diameter of the bell ranges from 30 to 80 cm, but there were some individuals whose bell diameter reached 180 cm.
The color of the bell can be different, for example, pink, red-golden or brown-violet. At the bottom of the umbrella is the mouth of a jellyfish, surrounded along the entire perimeter by a fringe of small tentacles. In addition, the giant Arctic jellyfish has eight groups of tentacles, each with 150 tentacles. They contain very effective nematocysts. The largest representatives of this species have tentacles up to 20 meters long.
Jellyfish of this species are dioecious. The lion's mane jellyfish has both male and female species. Both of them have a kind of bag on the stomach wall, which contains, depending on the sex of the individual, sperm or eggs. When sperm mature, they are released into the water through the male’s mouth, and then in the same way - through the mouth - they enter the female’s body and fertilize the egg.
Until the larvae hatch, egg development occurs in the female's tentacles. After the larvae hatch, they settle to the bottom, where they further develop, the next stage of which is polyps. In the process of their growth, small appendages are separated from them, from which, ultimately, jellyfish grow, which, in turn, repeat this entire cycle.
Giant Arctic jellyfish are never at rest for a minute; they are constantly moving, and they can reach a decent speed of several kilometers per hour, which allows them to cover long distances. In addition, sea currents help them navigate the waters. Cases have been observed large cluster This species of jellyfish is found in the North Sea and off the coast of Norway.
Arctic cyanea is the largest jellyfish in the world. It is also called hairy cyanea and lion's mane. The length of the tentacles of the Arctic cyanide reaches 37 meters, making it the longest animal on the planet. At the same time, the diameter of the dome of this “jellyfish” is 2.5 meters, and the bright colors of the body make it the undisputed queen of the deep sea.
If you pay attention to Latin name arctic cyanea, then the first word - Cyanos - translated means “blue”, and the second - capillus - hair or thin process, that is, the Latin name translated means that in front of you is a “blue-haired” jellyfish. It is also interesting that, according to the biological “price list”, Arctic cyanide belongs to scyphoid jellyfish order of disc jellyfish.
Still, there are several types of cyanides in the world. Although their exact number has not yet been determined, at present they distinguish not only Arctic cyanea, but also blue cyanea (Suapea lamarckii), as well as Japanese cyanea (Suapea capillata nozakii), which are significantly inferior in size to the giant “lion’s mane” .
According to experts, the diameter of the Atlantic cyanide reaches 2.5 meters. And if we compare this type of cyanide with the blue whale, which is often cited as an example when determining the longest animal, then the blue whale can reach a length of 30 meters (weighing 180 tons), and the Arctic cyanide grows up to 37 meters, which allows it to be the longest animal on our planet.
Arctic cyanide lives in cold and moderately cold waters. It can be found off the coast of Australia, but most of all it prefers the northern seas of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Besides, in open waters She also feels great in the Arctic seas. Proof of this is that in northern latitudes it reaches its greatest size. But in warm seas arctic cyanide does not take root, and if it makes its way into softer climatic zones, then it grows no more than 1.5 meters in diameter.
There is a known case when a huge arctic cyanide washed up on the shore of Massachusetts Bay, on the North Atlantic coast of the United States, in 1865, which with all its tentacles was 37 meters long, and the diameter of its dome was 2.29 meters. This is the most large jellyfish, the size of which is documented.
The body of the Arctic cyanide is distinguished by its varied coloring, in which red and brown tones predominate. Adults are usually colored like this: top part their dome is yellowish, and its edges are pink-red. At the same time, it looks very beautiful that the oral lobes against this background have a crimson-red color, and the marginal tentacles are decorated in pink to purple shades. In addition, it is believed that young cyanias have a brighter color.
Arctic cyanides have many very sticky tentacles, which are grouped into eight groups of 65 to 150 tentacles arranged in a row. The dome of such a beauty is also divided into eight parts, which gives the jellyfish the appearance of an eight-pointed star.
And since Arctic cyanides can be either female or male, the process of giving birth to children is very interesting. So, during fertilization, males seem to “kiss” females from a distance, that is, they throw sperm from their mouths into the water, which fall into the females’ oral lobes, where there are special brood chambers in which fertilization and development of eggs occurs.
Over time, planula larvae emerge from the brood chambers and swim in the water for several days. Then each of them attaches to the substrate and transforms into a single polyp, which, in turn, also begins to actively feed and increase in size. Uniquely, it can reproduce asexually by budding off other scyphists.
With the onset of the warm season, the mechanism of transverse division of the scyphistoma is triggered, which leads to the formation of a jellyfish larva. At that time, small “jellyfish” look like transparent glass stars with eight rays. So far they have neither marginal tentacles nor oral lobes. Such stars swim in the water, and by mid-summer they gradually become more and more like real jellyfish.
The main activity of Arctic cyanides is to leisurely soar in the surface layer of water, where they periodically contract their canopy and make spectacular flapping movements with their edge blades. At the same time, the tentacles of the jellyfish are extended to their full length and form a dense practical trapping network.
All cyanides are predators. With the help of their long and numerous tentacles, they catch prey, and they are helped by a strong poison, which almost immediately kills small animals and causes significant harm to larger individuals. This poison is found in the stinging cells with which the tentacles of the jellyfish are densely packed. Such poison is shot into the body of the victims, which the arctic cyanide then absorbs.
Huge jellyfish prey on various plankton, including smaller jellyfish and small fish. Arctic cyanea is also dangerous for humans, although its poison is not considered fatal to humans. However, cases of human death from such a jellyfish have still been recorded. But most often death occurs from a severe allergic reaction. In other cases, at the site of contact, a person experiences slight redness or a burn, which goes away over time.
Jellyfish are mysterious and beautiful representatives of underwater inhabitants, which have been studied by biologists for decades and have not yet revealed all their secrets. It is believed that these creatures lived on the planet even before the appearance of dinosaurs, and some of them are immortal.
Today, the Earth is inhabited by over two hundred varieties of jellyfish. Some of them are small, so they often end up in an aquarium and are kept there as pets, while others are so large that they can fit a person in their stomach. The article will discuss the largest of them.
It is also called gonionema or “cross” and is included in the list poisonous jellyfish. It inhabits the Pacific Ocean and is most often found near the shores of China and the state of California. The size of the jellyfish is small and reaches 4 centimeters. Its dome is transparent, it has a cross-shaped pattern and about 60 thin tentacles covered with stinging cells. The venom of the cross jellyfish rarely leads to death and only when a person is allergic to it. It basically leaves painful burns that are difficult to heal.
Irukandji are common inhabitants of the world's oceans, famous potent poison, dangerous to humans. When stung by a jellyfish, whose dome size is 10 centimeters, the victim develops a whole chain of paralytic reactions within half an hour. These include gastrointestinal dysfunction, back and muscle pain, pulmonary edema and problems in the functioning of the cardiovascular system. The combination of these symptoms was called “Irukandji syndrome.” Fortunately, doctors long ago developed an antidote, so over the past 20 years the number of deaths from jellyfish stings of this species has decreased significantly.
Interesting!
Some varieties of jellyfish have eyes that provide 360-degree vision. They need them to search for food and detect natural enemies.
The jellyfish is a beautiful underwater creature, endowed with the ability to emit light pulses when it comes into contact with various surfaces and objects. Often the pelagic nocturnal moth washes up on the coast, which is why the creature glows with multi-colored lights at night. A special feature of jellyfish is the presence of 8 stinging tentacles studded with poisonous glands. Contact with them causes severe burns that take a long time to heal. Therefore, doctors recommend that those who go on vacation to the Atlantic, Pacific Ocean or Red Sea not to touch speckled jellyfish, the diameter of which does not exceed 12 centimeters.
It inhabits the waters of the world's oceans, is often found off the coast of Pakistan and causes many problems for swimmers. The jellyfish, whose length together with the tentacles reaches 15 centimeters, has paralytic poison. One bite of alatina alata can cause severe poisoning and lead to death. Small individuals are especially dangerous. They are transparent and practically invisible in water, which is why a person can touch them and get hurt.
It was not by chance that the name of the jellyfish was the Portuguese man-of-war. It is a jelly-like animal that spends most of its life on the water. Her body is a 25-centimeter bubble that constantly floats on the surface of the world's oceans. The Portuguese man-of-war attracts small fish with goads, which are then drawn inside its dome. The tentacles of a jellyfish are covered with glands containing paralytic poison. It can cause enormous damage to human health, and especially severe cases lead to death. If a swimmer is stung by a Portuguese man-of-war, you should go to the hospital immediately, even if there are no symptoms yet.
Another name for jellyfish is eared jellyfish. It is one of the most widespread invertebrates in the world, as it inhabits all the oceans on the planet. The animal is not active; it swims slowly, squeezing and relaxing its dome. Its tentacles are short, dot the edges of its body and do not contain poison dangerous to humans. The size of aurelia does not exceed 40 centimeters. In Asia, jellyfish are eaten, sometimes raw. However, you need to be careful with such an exotic dish, because an improperly prepared creature can burn the esophagus or cause bleeding in the stomach.
It lives mainly near the coast of Australia; occasionally jellyfish of this species are found near the Philippines, New Zealand, Thailand and Indonesia. It is characterized by a blue luminous 45-centimeter dome and long, thread-thin tentacles. The venom of the sea wasp is so strong that one individual can kill up to 50 people if they do not seek help from a doctor in time. The only creature that can survive a jellyfish bite is a sea turtle. For them, sea wasp venom is safe, so they happily eat invertebrates.
A beautiful and large jellyfish that can be found near the continents in the south of the globe. It is also often caught in the nets of fishermen in the Black and Mediterranean Seas. Dome adult can reach 180 centimeters, and weight – up to 120 kilograms. Cornerotes are useful creatures whose poison is used in medicine to treat various diseases. An animal bite is safe for humans. Contact with a jellyfish may leave a slight burn or blisters on your body. In Japan and Korea, cornmouths are eaten. They are used to make salads or add a gelatinous mass to soups.
Interesting!
Turritopsis dornii jellyfish are considered immortal creatures by scientists. They can endlessly enter the polyp stage and be born again, and so on until they are eaten by predators.
Purple striped jellyfish – rare view, which is practically not studied by biologists. The largest individual that fell into the hands of scientists weighed about 130 kilograms, and the diameter of its dome was 190 centimeters. The remaining creatures of this species, living off the coast of Southern California, grow up to 70 cm in diameter. So far, doctors have not recorded cases of death from the venom of the purple striped jellyfish, but bites, despite the rarity of the animal, are common. After poisoning, hard-to-heal blisters and ulcers form on the skin.
An incredibly beautiful and little-studied species of jellyfish, representatives of which have a dome up to 2 meters in size. The bottom of the body of Nomura's bell is studded with thin and wide tentacles, each of which has poisonous glands. Animals live near the coasts of Japan, China and Korea. They rarely harm swimmers, but often disturb fishermen. A Nomura caught in a net can kill the entire catch, spraying poison around, and even capsize a light fishing boat.
The largest jellyfish in the world. It is also called the lion's mane, arctic or hairy jellyfish. The length of the tentacles of this animal is about 37 meters, and the diameter of the body (dome) is up to 250 cm. Cyanea is the largest representative family scyphoid. Its closest relatives are Japanese or blue cyanide. The creature lives in the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and is occasionally found in Arctic waters. Hairy cyanea does not survive in warm seas, and if this happens, the individual grows up to 50 cm in diameter.
Video on topic
The marine environment is fundamentally different from ours. This world is fraught with many creatures that go beyond the concepts of ordinary things. Take, for example, the jellyfish... This ancient species has existed on the planet for more than 600 million years, and some specimens have learned to grow to incredible sizes.
Hairy cyanea
The largest jellyfish in the world is the hairy cyanide. Found throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, but the most large specimens found in the Arctic. The reason for this is the lack of food in cold water, which leads to late puberty and, accordingly, gigantism of the individual.
Many people have seen this photo on the Internet. It certainly depicts a cyanea, but the ratio of a person and a jellyfish is corrected here with Photoshop. The largest jellyfish in the world washed up on the shores of Massachusetts Bay in 1870. Its length was 36.5 meters, and the diameter of the bell was 2.3 meters.
In this regard, cyanea rightfully also bears the title “the longest jellyfish in the world” and is considered the longest animal on the planet, since its main competitor is blue whale reaches only 33 meters.
What else is it called
Its other names are arctic cyanea or lion's mane. This is a disc jellyfish (octagonal in shape), opaque. Translated from Latin, its name means “blue hairy jellyfish,” although in adulthood it is more colorful - brown, red and yellowish tones predominate in it. But young cyanea is usually orange.
Common specimens have a diameter of about 2 meters and a length of tentacles of about 20. The body of the jellyfish is an inverted bell with blades. Tentacles emerge from its inner part, of which the cyanea has a lot - at each corner of the dome, up to 150 pieces are arranged in a row, which do not retract inward, but are always ready to bite into the victim. In the center there is a mouth, which is also an excretory opening. And jellyfish move in a reactive manner.
Habitats
Cyanea lives in surface waters at depths of up to 20 meters. This is a predator that uses its tentacles as a trapping net, where a rather strong poison awaits the victim at the ends of the stinging cells. For small fish it is fatal and leaves greater damage on larger animals.
In humans, the largest jellyfish in the world's oceans can cause allergies and burns, but not death. The story “The Lion's Mane” by Conan Doyle, where two people die when they touch it, is a work of fiction.
And besides, it’s rare that a diver will swim in the Arctic without a wetsuit to protect him from the cold. It is interesting that when it gets to more southern latitudes, cyanea will never grow more than half a meter. When meeting her in warm waters Without protective equipment, it is enough for a person to wipe the contact area with vinegar.
The life cycle of this jellyfish is quite unique. It consists of polypoid (attached to the bottom) and medusoid types.
Reproduction of jellyfish
Males spit out mature sperm through their mouths into the sea, where they enter the females’ mouth lobes. After a few days, the larva degenerates into a polyp, which first attaches itself to stones or plants. It will grow, eat, and may even reproduce by budding (asexually). And in the spring, the transformation is completed by the jellyfish larva, which sets off into free swimming as a small octagonal star.
Jellyfish hunt in groups - this makes it easier for them to surround plankton or a school of fish. Cannibalism is common among this type of jellyfish - on occasion, a large jellyfish can swallow a smaller relative. Natural enemies cyanides - turtles, birds and large fish they will never miss such a tasty piece of prey.
You can learn even more about jellyfish from the video below the article. Be sure to look at this majestic beauty...
Everyone knows very well that in absolutely every species of vertebrate animal you can find the most outstanding representative, who for one reason or another has become a record holder. But not only vertebrates are distinguished by some peculiarity.
Invertebrate animals are also not inferior to their vertebrate “brothers” in terms of records. One of such outstanding invertebrates is considered to be the giant cyanea jellyfish.
Giant sea miracle
Hairy cyanea- This is undoubtedly the largest jellyfish in the entire body of water in the world. This is truly a gigantic sea miracle. Scientifically speaking, the invertebrate is called Cuanea arctica. From Latin it is translated as “Arctic cyanide”. You can meet this majestic creature in the heights of the northern hemisphere. Compared to its counterparts, the Arctic cyanide has a beautiful color. The pink-purple cyanea jellyfish can be observed in any northern sea that flows into the oceans:
- Quiet.
- Atlantic.
As a rule, it lives close to the shore, mainly near the surface of the water. Scientists who studied the giant jellyfish assumed that it lives in the Azov and Black Seas. But all attempts to discover Arctic cyanide there were in vain.
The enormous size of the invertebrate giant
According to the results of the latest study carried out by members of the Cousteau team, we can say that the diameter of the so-called body is about 2.5 meters. But the main pride of the Arctic cyanide is associated with its tentacles. Incredibly, the length of these truly majestic limbs can reach 42 meters. Researchers around the world have come to the conclusion that the size of the Arctic cyanide is directly influenced by its habitat. More precisely, the temperature of the water in that place. It has already been proven that the largest specimens live in icy waters ocean.
Appearance
This species of invertebrate has a rather specific and interesting body color. Mostly the body of Arctic cyanide consists of flowers:
- red;
- brown;
- violet.
As the jellyfish matures, its body gradually begins to turn yellow. And along the edges of the body red shades appear. The tentacles emanating from the edges of the body, or domes as it is also called, are predominantly purple-pink in color. The oral cavity is usually red-crimson. The dome of the giant jellyfish is shaped like a hemisphere. Along the edges of the body, there are 16 smoothly transitioning blades, separated from each other by special cuts. Some people compare it to a lion's mane. Indeed, there are similarities. And so another name was attached to this giant, the “lion’s mane” jellyfish.
Lifestyle
Jellyfish of this species spend a lot of time swimming freely, living closer to the surface of the ocean. By nature, the lion's mane jellyfish is a predator. Moreover, it is very dangerous and active . Her diet mainly consists of:
- plankton located in upper layers water;
- crustaceans;
- small fish.
During the “hunger years”, when jellyfish cannot find food for themselves, they can long time exist without food. But it often happens that they transform into cannibals and begin to devour their fellows.
Until recently, the hunting method of this jellyfish was unknown. . Arctic cyanea, floats to the surface of the reservoir. Spreads its huge tentacles in all directions. After preparatory stages, the time of waiting for its victim begins. Scientists who studied the behavior of a jellyfish during hunting noticed that in this position it is very similar to algae, which, in turn, is similar to a lion’s mane. This is one of the reasons why the Arctic invertebrate is called the lion's mane jellyfish.
The victim, suspecting nothing, heads towards these “algae”. As soon as the victim touches this " lion's mane", the predator quickly grabs it with its tentacles and injects its poison into the body of the prey. This poison paralyzes all the vital organs of the victim, and when it no longer shows any signs of life, the jellyfish eats it. It is worth noting that the poison produced is present along the entire length of the tentacle and has a strong effect.
Reproduction
These invertebrates have a unique method of reproduction.. The sperm of the male splashes out of his mouth into the female's mouth. After sperm enter the female’s mouth, it is there that they begin to turn into embryos. After some time, the offspring emerge from the mother in the form of larvae. The larvae begin to cling to the substrate, forming a solid polyp. After several months, the resulting polyp multiplies. Due to this, larvae appear, which in the future will become jellyfish.
To this day, the largest specimen caught that has been officially recorded is an invertebrate of this type diameter 2.3 meters. The length of the giant creature's tentacle was 36 meters. This phenomenon happened in 1870, near the state of Massachusetts. But this is far from the largest aquatic inhabitant. With the help of modern equipment, scientists have discovered that there are, where bigger size representatives of this species. But so far no one has been able to see this majestic miracle.
The burn that a jellyfish can leave is very painful. Large specimens of this invertebrate species are considered potentially dangerous to humans. Death after an encounter with a jellyfish was recorded once. This was caused by the venom from the tentacle causing allergic reaction the victim, which led to death. Although the venom of the lion's mane jellyfish is practically harmless to humans, if it enters the body, you should consult a doctor.