The
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".
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 pain is like a bee sting. Jellies have long tentacles with lots of tiny stingers. Pieces of tentacles that wash up on the beach can still cause stings. They produce lines of redness and burning pain.
A 10-year-old Australian girl who survived being stung by the world's most venomous creature, the deadly box jellyfish, may have rewritten medical history, an expert says.
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.
With enough contact, the poison can kill in just a few minutes by shocking the heart and paralyzing the lungs. People who survive these encounters are usually in a great deal of pain for, at least, weeks afterward.
Jellyfish sting their prey with their tentacles, releasing a venom that paralyzes their targets. Jellyfish don't go after humans, but someone who swims up against or touches one — or even steps on a dead one — can be stung all the same.
Somewhere along the way, a theory grew that peeing on a sting could neutralize the venom and make the intense pain go away. The logic is based upon ammonia and other compounds found in urine. The truth, though? Peeing on a jellyfish sting can actually cause stinging cells to release even more venom.
Wear some type of protective footwear when walking on the beach, because jellyfish—as well as any detached tentacles—can be difficult to spot. Don't depend on a wetsuit or coating your body with petroleum jelly to protect you. These may help, but they are not sting-proof.
Although jellies are well known for their ability to sting, using harpoon-like cells on their tentacles to force toxin into their prey, the moon jelly possess little danger to humans.
The Aurelia Aurita, known as the moon jelly, is the most common and widely recognized jellyfish species. Though it has venom, it is harmless to humans—it's even a popular dish in China!
Natural Predators
Among the predators of the jellyfish, the following have been identified: ocean sunfish, grey triggerfish, turtles (especially the leatherback sea turtle), some seabirds (such as the fulmars), the whale shark, some crabs (such as the arrow and hermit crabs), some whales (such as the humpbacks).
Most jellyfish stings are harmless and occur by accident when people come in contact with the tentacles. Some varieties of jellyfish are more poisonous than others, such as the box jellyfish from Australia. Most stingray injuries require emergency care.
It is important to note that not all box jellyfish encounters are deadly. However, approximately 100 people die each year from stings by the deadliest jellyfish.
The bullet ant has the distinction of delivering the most painful sting in the insect world, as evidenced by the Schmidt Sting Pain Index. 4 Some even believe that a bullet ant sting might be the most painful sting, period.
Nothing can ruin a day at the beach like a jellyfish sting. And while such attacks are common, the methods for treating them vary, and many remedies can do more harm than good. One exception is the application of vinegar, which according to several studies can deactivate the venomous nematocysts that jellyfish release.
It can be tempting to touch a beached jellyfish, but it's best not to, as these creatures can still sting. It's important to be careful, however. A jellyfish can sting after it has passed away, so try not to touch a jellyfish you find, regardless of if you think it's dead or alive.
Can jellyfish feel pain? Jellyfish don't feel pain in the same way that humans would. They do not possess a brain, heart, bones or a respiratory system. They are 95% water and contain only a basic network of neurons that allow them to sense their environment.
You can wear protective clothing to create a barrier between your skin and jellyfish, and you can also use a special lotion that protects your skin. Yes, there's actually a jellyfish repellent-like product! Simply apply Safe Sea® Jellyfish Sting Protective Lotion to all exposed skin before heading out into the water.
Tusos are immune to jellyfish stings, which make them great for collecting bio-toxin.
A jellyfish sting scar can occur in particularly severe cases, in the form of red, brown or purple lines from the points of contact.
A 24-eyed box jellyfish, which is tiny and cube-shaped, has been discovered in the Mai Po Nature Reserve by the scientists at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU).
The moon jelly differs from many jellyfish in that they lack long, potent stinging tentacles. Instead they have hundreds of short, fine tentacles that line the bell margin. The moon jelly's sting is mild and most people have only a slight reaction to it if anything at all.
Each tentacle has about 500,000 cnidocytes, containing nematocysts, a harpoon-shaped microscopic mechanism that injects venom into the victim. Many different kinds of nematocysts are found in cubozoans.