All about Jellyfish

well, a quick 'about jellyfish' actually.  The first in a series of 'getting to know you' posts, so we can learn a little more about the underwater life we are swimming with.

A stinging Cauliflower Jelly

 

 

Jellyfish or jellies^[1] are the major non-polyp form of individuals of the phylum Cnidaria. They are typified as free-swimming marine animals consisting of a gelatinous umbrella-shaped bell and trailing tentacles. The bell can pulsate for locomotion, while stinging tentacles can be used to capture prey.
Jellyfish are found in every ocean, from the surface to the deep sea. A few jellyfish inhabit freshwater. Large, often colorful, jellyfish are common in coastal zones worldwide. Jellyfish have roamed the seas for at least 500 million years,^[2] and possibly 700 million years or more, making them the oldest multi-organ animal.^[3]

 

a moon jelly

Feeding

Jellies are carnivorous, feeding on plankton, crustaceans, fish eggs, small fish and other jellyfish, ingesting and voiding through the same hole in the middle of the bell. Jellies hunt passively using their tentacles as drift nets.

Predation

Other species of jellyfish are among the most common and important jellyfish predators, some of which specialize in jellies. Other predators include tuna, shark, swordfish, sea turtles, and at least one species of Pacific salmon. Sea birds sometimes pick symbiotic crustaceans from the jellyfish bells near the sea's surface, inevitably feeding also on the jellyfish hosts of these amphipods or young crabs and shrimp.

 

a man-of-war jelly

 

Culinary

In some countries, such as Japan and Korea, jellyfish are known as a delicacy. "Dried jellyfish" has become increasingly popular throughout the world. The jellyfish is dried to prevent spoiling; if not dried they can spoil within a matter of hours. Once dried, they can be stored for weeks at a time. Only scyphozoan jellyfish belonging to the order Rhizostomeae are harvested for food; about 12 of the approximately 85 species. Most of the harvest takes place in southeast Asia.^[59] Rhizostomes, especially Rhopilema esculentum in China (海蜇 hǎizhē, "sea stings") and Stomolophus meleagris (cannonball jellyfish) in the United States, are favored because of their larger and more rigid bodies and because their toxins are harmless to humans.^[60]

 

Traditional processing methods, carried out by a Jellyfish Master, involve a 20- to 40-day multi-phase procedure in which after removing the gonads and mucous membranes, the umbrella and oral arms are treated with a mixture of table salt and alum, and compressed. Processing reduces liquefaction, odor, the growth of spoilage organisms, and makes the jellyfish drier and more acidic, producing a "crunchy and crispy texture." Jellyfish prepared this way retain 7–10% of their original weight, and the processed product contains approximately 94% water and 6% protein. Freshly processed jellyfish has a white, creamy color and turns yellow or brown during prolonged storage.
In China, processed jellyfish are desalted by soaking in water overnight and eaten cooked or raw. The dish is often served shredded with a dressing of oil, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar, or as a salad with vegetables. In Japan, cured jellyfish are rinsed, cut into strips and served with vinegar as an appetizer.^[60][61] Desalted, ready-to-eat products are also available.<sup>[60]

(Thanks Wikipedia for the above information.)</sup>

 

 

^{HOW TO TREAT JELLYFISH STINGS}

^{(From webMD: http://firstaid.webmd.com/jellyfish-stings-treatment)}

Call 911 if:

• The person displays signs of a severe allergic reaction.
• The sting is from a box jellyfish.
• The sting covers more than half an arm or leg.

 

1. Get the Person Out of the Water

2. Stop Stinging

For a jellyfish sting in non-tropical waters:

• Wash the area with seawater to deactivate stinging cells.

For a sting in tropical waters -- especially from box jellyfish:

• Rinse immediately with vinegar. Do not use fresh or tap water, which can reactivate stinging cells.

Continue reading below...

Continue until you can get medical help.

3. Decontaminate and Remove Tentacles

For stings not from a box jellyfish:

• Apply vinegar for 30 minutes.

• If vinegar is not available, apply shaving cream, soap lather, or paste of sand or mud and seawater.

• Scrape with razor or credit card to remove stinging cells.

• Reapply vinegar.

4. Treat Discomfort

• Use mild hydrocortisone cream or oral antihistamine to relieve itching and swelling.

5. Follow Up

For less severe sting:

• Use ice packs or over-the-counter pain relievers for welts.

• Clean open sores 3 times a day and apply antibiotic ointment. Bandage if needed.

For a severe reaction:

• The person may be hospitalized for several days.

• Anti-venom will be administered for box jellyfish stings