What is the most poisonous jellyfish in the world?

A long-awaited vacation at sea can sometimes turn into an unpleasant memory, the fault of which is the encounter with the jellyfish. A marine creature, consisting of 98% of a liquid, is difficult to examine in water, so contact with it often occurs due to negligence and can have rather deplorable consequences for a person. Which jellyfish are poisonous?

Caution: the sea wasp!

Especially dangerous is the encounter with the inhabitant of the Indian Ocean - the jellyfish Chironex fleckeri (or sea oso). An animal of small size lives in the waters of the northern shores of Australia and the western coast of Thailand; Inhabits the quiet coves of sandy beaches and is most active in the summer months. Every year the most poisonous jellyfish - sea wasp - kills about 20 people.

The body of the jellyfish is almost transparent, with a light bluish tint, for which reason a plain-looking creature is hard enough to examine in water. The diameter of the dome is 30-40 cm, the thin tentacles are covered with stinging cells with a highly toxic poison and are located in 4 bundles of 15 pieces. In a calm state, their length is 10-20 cm, when the sea wasp leaves for hunting increases to 3 meters. First, the poisonous jellyfish does not attack its victim; Frozen in one place, she waits for a prey passing by and ruthlessly stings her several times.

Consequences of the meeting with the sea

The burn of the inhabitant of the aquatic bowels, in addition to the paralysis of breathing and the instantly swelling, severely baking site of the lesion, paralyzes the work of the cardiac and nervous systems. Under the influence of pain shock or heart attack, the victim may simply not swim to the shore. In the best case, a person will experience pain for several days, and on the burn site slowly healing ulcers remain, which later turn into scars. It is believed that temporarily ease the condition of the patient can be with the help of vinegar, which need to lubricate the injured place. Preliminarily it is necessary to get rid of the remains of tentacles with great care, bearing in mind their danger and property to recover when they get into a moist environment. Then, with regard to the victim, cardiopulmonary and respiratory resuscitation should be used. If untimely introduction of an antidote - a specific therapeutic serum - death can occur within 5 minutes.

Irukandji - danger of Pacific waters

In the Pacific Ocean, a variety of poisonous jellyfish, among which a huge danger to humans is the jellyfish irukandji. Outwardly it resembles a small (about 15-25 mm in diameter) transparent white bell; Thin tentacles are covered with stinging cells that shoot at the victim not with a full portion of poison, but with its dosed amount. That's why a light bite poisons the victim's body gradually and is not taken seriously by bathers. The main symptoms of a burn occur 30-60 minutes after the defeat and are accompanied by a chain of paralytic effects: profuse sweating, nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, pulmonary edema, and severe pain in the head, abdomen, pelvis, back. In some cases, a fatal outcome is likely. As a matter of urgency, treatment of the affected area with vinegar is required. Unfortunately, the rescue serum against such a Pacific jellyfish has not been invented; Sting passes a set of activities to maintain life until the moment until the poison completely comes out in a natural way.

About floating colonies of physalia

Poisonous jellyfish, photos of which demonstrate the deceptive beauty of these sea creatures, live in tropical waters near the coast of Spain, Italy, Thailand, Hawaii. Residents and guests of these places should beware of fisaly - floating colonies of marine organisms very similar to jellyfish and called "Portuguese ships". The colony consists of several polyps, one of which is a gas bubble similar to a balloon. Rising above the water, it allows the colony to easily stay afloat. The remaining parts are tentacles of 20-meter length with poisonous stinging cells at the ends. Their function is to extract food and drag the victim to the center of the colony, where the latter is "processed" by other polyps. When exposed to the human skin, the toxic agent causes severe pain, increased body temperature, the appearance of blisters, increased sweating, damage to the nervous and circulatory systems, and general malaise.

The jellyfish jerked: what should I do?

Be sure to contact with the marine body you need to remove the remains of tentacles from the skin and moisten the affected area with plenty of sea water. Fresh water can not be used: this action releases the remainder of the poison from the surviving stinging cells. According to a number of experts, vinegar that helps in contact with other jellyfish in this case may be useless. Meetings with the "Portuguese ship" to avoid much easier than with the sea osoyu thanks to the bright color of its dome. In addition, marine organisms are kept in large groups (more than a thousand individuals) and rarely approach the coast.

Poisonous jellyfish of the world: cross

A huge danger to humans is represented by a tiny jellyfish, a distinctive feature of which is a brown-red cross inside a transparent yellowish-green dome, whose diameter varies from 2.5 to 4.0 cm. Tentacles thickened at the ends due to the accumulation of stinging cells, there are About 60 pieces; They can vary in size and in the elongated state to reach half a meter. Inhabits a poisonous jelly -fish in the depths of the sea, mainly off the coast of Korea, Japan, China, California. During the spawning period, it sails massively to shallow water, where it poses a huge danger for bathers. For the presence on the tentacles of special suction cups the crosspiece was nicknamed "clinging jellyfish"; It is worth touching at least one tentacle, and the jellyfish rushes in the direction of the victim and tries to cling to it completely. The result of human contact with the inhabitant of the sea depths is a painful burn on the body, redness of the skin at the site of the lesion and the appearance of blisters. These signs are accompanied by pain in the lumbar region, difficulty breathing, numbness of the limbs, nausea and thirst. The poisonous substance lasts for 3-4 days.

Poisonous jellyfish of cyanide

Not deadly, but very dangerous is the poison of the giant cyanide - the largest jellyfish in the world: the diameter of the dome reaches 2.5 meters, and the length of the tentacles is 37 meters. Cyanea hairy (as the sea creature is also called) prefers cold and moderately cold waters, occurs in the northern seas of the Pacific and the Atlantic, off the coast of Australia, in the open waters of the seas of the Arctic. In warm water does not take root. Color cyanide depends on its size: large individuals are characterized by brown, red and purple hues; Small specimens - yellow-brown and orange. Numerous tentacles of the animal, also called the "lion's mane" for its similarity with the appearance of the lion, contain stinging cells with a strong poison. Its action can cause the appearance of a painful rash and burning accompanied by allergic manifestations.

Traveler's booklet

When going on vacation to places where a meeting with a jellyfish is highly likely, it is recommended that you follow the tips below:

• Avoid meeting with a jellyfish, remembering that its tentacles can stretch for considerable distances;
• During a scuba diving, it is best to not touch anything with your hands;
• Do not go after the storm into the water, to avoid contact with scraps of tentacles.

If the poisonous jellyfish still gets in the way, it is recommended:

• Immediately wash the wound with salt water;
• Treat the affected area with vinegar, alcohol or ammonia;
• Carefully remove the remains of the tentacles - you can do this with a mixture of sand and sea water, which you need to attach to the place of injury, and then gently scrape off the item (the back of the knife, plastic card and so on, this action is not recommended with bare hands).

Be sure to seek professional medical help, especially if there is dizziness, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, dyspnea.