Jellyfish expert Paul Bologna, also known as "Professor Jellyfish," says they're so rare, even he's never seen one in the Garden State.
The Blue Button species can be found floating ashore the Gulf of Mexico (and found here along 30A) and in other parts of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.
Blue button jellies do not have a lethal sting, but they can cause skin irritation when touched. Sources: Climate Watch.
While beautiful in appearance, the tiny creatures can cause irritation if touched by humans and toxicity in animals if ingested. Locals and veterinarians are warning community members to “look but not touch” blue buttons if spotted in local waters.
Blue Bottle Jellyfish (Physalia utriculus) has an air sac for a float and long blue tentacles which can be up to 10 m long whereas the Blue Button's tentacles are short. By-the-Wind Sailor (Velella velella) doesn't have any tentacles fringing its disc and does have a sail sitting upright on its disc.
Dried out, crusty, 'dead' bluebottles washed up on our beaches can still cause a painful sting. The aftermath of a marine stinger invasion often presented the temptation to touch or 'pop' bluebottles — but beware.
The Bluebottle, Physalia physalis, is a common, if unwelcome, summer visitor to Sydney beaches. At the mercy of the wind, they are sometimes blown into shallow waters, and often wash up onto the beach.
Bluebottle jellyfish stings can cause intense pain, whip-like lines and sores in the areas of skin that have been in contact with the jellyfish tentacles. The pain usually decreases or stops after 1 – 2 hours and you may have joint aches afterwards. You may also have a rash or redness in the area that was stung.
The blue button can grow up to 30 mm in diameter and lives on the surface of the sea and consists of two main parts: the float and the hydroid colony. The hard golden brown float is round, almost flat, and about one inch wide.
A sting from a bluebottle causes an immediate sharp pain and acute inflammatory skin reaction, which has a linear appearance (Figure 1). The pain is worsened if the tentacles are moved or the area rubbed. The intense pain can last from minutes to many hours, and can be followed by a dull ache involving the joints.
Irukandji jellyfish's stings are so severe they can cause fatal brain hemorrhages and on average send 50-100 people to the hospital annually. Robert Drewe describes the sting as "100 times as potent as that of a cobra and 1,000 times stronger than a tarantula's".
Immediately after you get stung by a bluebottle, you will feel an intense jolt of pain. This pain will increase if the tentacles move around your body or the area that has been stung is touched.
The blue buttons don't sting quite in the same way as jellyfish, but do have stinging cells that can cause skin irritation, Northup said.
An extremely rare species of box jellyfish was sighted off the coast of Queensland, Australia, by divers who filmed the majestic marine creature. This is only the second time this jellyfish has been in front of a camera, and this footage is helping researchers understand this elusive creature.
The Australian box jellyfish is considered the most venomous marine animal. They may not look dangerous, but the sting from a box jellyfish could be enough to send you to Davy Jones's locker-a watery grave, that is.
Some of the most popular pet jellyfish, Blue Blubber Jellyfish are active swimmers with rhythmic movement and bright colours. Blue, Brown, Burgundy, White and Purple colours available. Average lifespan of 12 Months.
Habu-Kurage and box jellyfish are known to have extremely painful stings, Japanese sea nettle are moderately painful, and moon jellyfish are pretty much painless.
The blue blubber jelly feeds primarily on zooplankton. The bell of this jelly can be up to 16 inches wide. In the past, jelly populations were kept in check by predators like sea turtles and jelly-eating fish. Due to the reduction in the populations of their predators, jelly populations are growing at alarming rates.
There are several popular methods to relieving the pain of a jellyfish sting, one being to apply urine. However, one UAMS specialist says there is no evidence that this method works. “Despite what anyone tells you, do not apply vinegar, urine or meat tenderizer to the affected area,” UAMS neurosurgeon Dr.
Treatment for Bluebottle stings
Remove any 'invisible tentacles' with a copious amount of sea water. Immerse the affected area in hot water or cover it with hot running water (as in a hot shower) for at least 20 minutes to kill the proteins in the venom*
These famous jellies are known for stinging and badly injuring or killing unsuspecting divers and snorkelers. While these nasty cnidarians do cause chaos, Australia is home to multiple amazing species of jellyfish that rarely sting but often amaze divers.
The comb jelly is a beautiful, oval-shaped animal with eight rows of tiny comblike plates that it beats to move itself through the water. As it swims, the comb rows break up (diffract) light to produce a shimmering rainbow effect.
Bluebottles have been found all down Tasmania's east coast, along the New South Wales' coast, in parts of Victoria and even South Australia.
Despite their toxicity to humans, bluebottles are eaten by several animals, including the nudibranch (Glaucus sp), purple-shelled snail (Janthina janthina), plough shells, Loggerhead turtle, sunfish and the blanket octopus (Tremoctopus) which is immune to their venom and has been seen carrying broken tentacles around ...
Dogs that ingest bluebottles may be stung in the mouth and throat. These stings are immediately painful and affected dogs may drool or vomit. Stings may result in local swelling in the mouth and throat and rarely this may lead to breathing difficulties. Allergic reactions including anaphylaxis are possible.