Jellyfish of the Great Barrier Reef

-

 


This post only exists because of a critical error I made in the last post. Cheers to fact checking.


Ok, I know I said that there would be two Blanket Octopus posts, but I changed my mind (see here). All the info is now in one post.

Anyways, while I was reading back on the Blanket Octopus, I realized that I said the Portuguese Man-of-War was a jellyfish.  Which is wrong. It's actually a siphonophore. 

Which looks exactly like a jellyfish. 

Which is why I wanted to create this post. There are over 200 different species of jellyfish in the world, and around half of those species have been found in the Great Barrier Reef. These beautiful, ethereal creatures have always seemed to come from a different world to me. Glowing orbs of light, floating serenely at bottomless depths—like the ocean's angels. Except these angles are quite dangerous and quite capable of killing. Here, I'm going to spotlight some of what I think are the Great Barrier Reef's most fascinating species of jellyfish. 

The Bluebottle Jellyfish (Physalia physalis) ***not a jellyfish


It's names like this that confuse people. Although it's questionable that I'm starting off this jellyfish post with a non-jellyfish, I think this species deserves an honorable mention for being the reason why I'm writing about all these other jellyfish. Commonly known as the Portuguese Man-of-War, the Bluebottle "jellyfish" is commonly found on the shores of Australia, and it's even better known for its painful stings. 


The Bonaire Banded Box Jellyfish (Tamoya ohboya)


One of the 51 species of Box Jellyfish, the Bonaire Banded Box Jellyfish may also be known as a Fire Jellyfish. Its appearance is often compared to a plastic bag, and the Bonaire Banded's tentacles range from red to orange to yellow. Although this species of jellyfish's venom isn't fatal, it can still cause considerable damage and pain. 

The Irukandji Jellyfish (Carukia barnesi)


This is considered to be one of the world's tiniest and most dangerous jellyfish. Reaching only around 1 cm in length, the Irukandji Jellyfish can kill with just one sting of its venom. This species is mainly found in the Northern waters of Australia. 

The Blue Blubber Jellyfish (Catostylus mosaicus)


This jellyfish has the fun nickname Jelly Blubber. Adorable, right? It's recognizable by its mushroom shape and can be found in shades of white to brown to blue and purple. Although the Blue Blubber Jellyfish's distribution is considered to be the whole Indo-Pacific region, it's most commonly found on Australia's eastern coast, where it is considered to be the most commonly encountered jellyfish. These creatures often are seen in large groups together near shorelines. 

The Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita)


This stunning creature is one of my favorite species of jellyfish. Often seen in large groups, this jellyfish is around 10-16 inches in diameter and has numerous tentacles that resemble fringe. As it name may suggest, the Moon Jellyfish is typically very round and translucent, although its inner organs may have pink, purple, or blue hues to them. The Moon Jellyfish can be found in not just the Great Barrier Reef, but also the Atlantic region. 

The Australian Sea Wasp (Chironex fleckeri)


What better way to conclude this post than with the claimed to be deadliest jellyfish in the world. The Australian Sea Wasp can be found in the waters of Australia and countries in the Indo-Pacific region. This species has up to 15 tentacles that can reach up to 10 feet long or more. Its venom is infamous for being extremely painful and dangerous to humans, so painful and dangerous, in fact, that it got a whole article dedicated on The New Yorker. 









https://greatbarrierreeftourscairns.com.au/blog/what-are-stingers-and-should-you-be-scared/#:~:text=The%20most%20commonly%20found%20species%20of%20stingers%20at,their%20body%20%28bell%29%20and%20length%20of%20their%20tentacles.
https://www.xpbonaire.com/post/2017/02/20/WARNING-On-the-Bonaire-Banded-Box-Jellfyfish
https://deepoceanfacts.com/types-of-jellyfish-in-the-great-barrier-reef
https://www.worldatlas.com/is-the-irukandji-jellyfish-deadly.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jelly_blubberhttps://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/07/australia/australia-queensland-bluebottle-jellyfish-intl/index.html
https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/better-living-through-venom
http://octopusgrande.com/photography/blubber-jellyfish-at-the-monterey-bay-aquarium-2/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chironex_fleckeri
https://contempo3.blogspot.com/2017/10/aurelia-aurita-moon-jellyfish-diet.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/moon-jellyfish-4692397









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acadia National Park - Info & Imagery

-
Image
  New England feels...this is what the great 17th & 18th century poets and writers engraved in stone and ink saw in their worlds Acadia National Park. Nestled in the crook of Acadia, Maine, established in 1917, and known for its sweater vibes and autumnal beauty seemingly year round, this national park is known for its stunning scenery above all else. Wintery mountains, teeming forests, and pink granite shorelines are sights to behold on their own. But as the eastern-most National Park in the US, Acadia is also the first National Park to greet dawn every day. Imagine...the light spilling up over ocean salt breeze, pouring over the trees and rocks and sea. A striking world illuminated from the inside out.  Some of these places just don't seem real sometimes. But they are, and besides having great lighting for a Instagram photo shoot, the National Parks' beauty and meaning and history means something to us. These parks, surreal little worlds that offer more than escape,...
Read more

The National Parks!

-
Image
  New Year, new explorations. I have to be honest; I haven't visited one of our 63 National Parks yet. Bing has this great catalogue of the National Parks and hotel/flight prices for each. Don't get too distracted by the beautiful photos of each park. It's too damn expensive for a college student to visit, well anywhere, right now.  So instead, I'm writing about the parks from my cozy-already-expensive enough dorm. The previous series on this blog have covered rainforests, oceans, and the ecosystems in between. Here, the National Parks are their own unique ecosystems, far more complex than being simply described as just a grassland or just  a desert. There's a reason why each park was designated as a government protected piece of land. Every park has history, distinct flora and fauna, and some beautiful crazy fun fact-esque aspect that makes these parks feel like other worlds.   Before we dive into some of the spotlights on the National Parks, I want t...
Read more

Fast Facts: Maori Wrasse

-
Image
Known by many names, including the Humphead Wrasse and Napolean Wrasse, this fish is known as a king of the coral reefs.    The Maori Wrasse :   Cheilinus undulatus Description : Reaching up to 2 meters in length and 180 kg in weight, t he Maori Wrasse is the largest species in the Wrasse family. They are easily distinguishable by the hump on their foreheads, which become more prominent with age, as well as their puffy lips. Based on the age and gender of a Maori Wrasse, its color patterns vary from red and orange to yellow and green and blues.  Habitat :  Found in the Indo-Pacific's tropical waters, the Maori Wrasse tends to cling to the temperate-coastal habitats of Australia. Maori Wrasse can inhabit all types of reefs, from rocky reefs by the shore to off-shore reefs reaching depths of 60 meters.  Diet : Maori Wrasse are carnivorous creatures that feed primarily on crustaceans, mollusks, and other benthic creatures. They may even eat smaller fish! Maori...
Read more