The Lions Manes Jellyfish Deadly Stings

By Annette Rose

No matter if you go on a summer vacation near a ocean or sea you are bound to see at least once a jellyfish. The reason for that is because they are the fastest multiplying sea inhabitants, but although they may be beautiful they still may be a danger to your health. Of course not all of them possess a venomous sting. An example of that Is the Lion's mane jellyfish which is maybe the biggest jellyfish known to men. The Lion's mane jellyfish inhabits the waters around the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans. To give you an example of the huge size of the Lion's mane jellyfish we will inform you that the largest one found of that kind had a cap diameter of 2.3m with tentacles 36.5m long.

Don't be misled by their big size. Although they may be big their sting isn't a mortal threat to humans, because there isn't a report in which someone has died because due to Lion's mane jellyfish sting. However if you get hurt by one make sure to seek medical help as soon as possible. The sting will cause severe pain and the stung place will turn red.

However don't be confused by the astonishing sizes of the largest species of Lion's mane jellyfish found. The fact that one specimen had such vast sizes doesn't make the other specimens also so big. For instance the specimens which inhabit the north oceans are quite big and can reach such sizes, but the specimens that inhabit the other oceans most often reach up to 60cm diameter with tentacles up to 30m. The tentacles of the Lion's mane jellyfish are its main weapon for hunting due to their ability to stick to the prey, disabling its movement. The length of the tentacles is the biggest joker of the Lion's mane jellyfish when hunting, because it can easily reach the prey without notifying it of its presence.

The Lion's mane jellyfish is officially the longest creature on the Earth with the amazing length of the biggest specimen at 36.5 by easily beating the length of the amazing Blue whale. The body shape of the Lion's mane jellyfish is a star and more specifically a eight edged star. As most of the other jellyfishes Lion's mane jellyfishes also have a color and it varies by the time of their life. For instance the young ones have a medium yellow color while the older ones are pink or dark purple colored.

The Lion's mane jellyfish specimens mostly spend their time near the top of the surface of seas and oceans and rarely submerge under 20m of depth. Due to their big size they don't rely on their body pulsations for movement, but instead count on wind and water currents to move them around. The time when you have the biggest chance to see a Lion's mane jellyfish is in the beginning of the autumn and the last days of summer when the strong winds and water currents carry their flocks near the coastal line.

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Do you want to learn more about the lion's mane jellyfish? Be sure to check out JellyfishFacts.Net for more information on Jellyfish. Don't miss the jellyfish stings section either!