All about jellyfish for kids

Jellyfish Facts! - National Geographic Kids

Join us as we travel the oceans far and wide with these electric jellyfish facts!

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Join us as we travel the oceans far and wide with these electric jellyfish facts!

Fast jellyfish facts

Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Scyphozoa
Classification: Invertebrate
IUCN status: Not evaluated
Lifespan (in wild): One year
Weight: Up to 2kg
Body size: 2cm to 2m
Top speed: 8km/h
Diet: Fish, shrimp, crabs, tiny plants and even other species of jellyfish
Habitat: Oceans
Range:

Jellyfish have been around for millions of years, even before dinosaurs lived on the Earth. Pulsing along on our ocean currents, these jelly-like creatures can be found in waters both cold and warm, deep and shallow and along coastlines, too. Some jellyfish are clear, but others are vibrant colours of pink, yellow, blue and purple. They can be bioluminescent, too, which means they produce their own light!

Jellyfish have no brain, heart, bones or eyes. They are made up of a smooth, bag-like body and tentacles armed with tiny, stinging cells. These incredible invertebrates use their stinging tentacles to stun or paralyse prey before gobbling it up.

The jellyfish’s mouth is found in the centre of its body. From this small opening it both eats and discards waste. And it serves another purpose, too – by squirting a jet of water from its mouth, the jellyfish can propel forward! Cool, eh?

Jellyfish digest their food, which consists of fish, shrimp, crabs and tiny plants, very quickly. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be able to float, being weighed down by the large, undigested grub in their body.

The jellyfish itself provides a tasty meal for other ocean creatures, particularly sea turtles, who like to guzzle them up regularly. In some cultures around the world, people eat jellyfish, too. In China, they are considered a delicacy, and are also used in Chinese medicine.

Jellyfish stings can be painful to humans and, from certain species, they can even be deadly. Although these magnificent marine creatures don’t purposely attack humans, most stings occur when people accidentally touch a jellyfish.

Picture credits

Bioflourescent jellyfish: Getty Images UK. Close-up of purple jellyfish: Bruce H. Obison. Jellyfish with long tentacles: Natursports, Dreamstime. Yellow jellyfish: Tim Hester, Dreamstime. Map showing jellyfish distribution: National Geographic Maps.

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Jellyfish Facts for Kids - Facts Just for Parents, Teachers and Students

Home > Animal Facts for Kids, Teachers and Parents > Jellyfish Facts for Kids

Name: Jellyfish
Subphylum: Medusozoa
Number of Jellyfish Species: 2,000+
Range: Worldwide (marine and freshwater)
Diet: Carnivorous
Size: Between . 04 inches and 6.6 feet

20 Jellyfish Facts for Kids

There are over two thousand species of jellyfish around the world.
Jellyfish are estimated to be older than the first dinosaurs.
Jellyfish are invertebrates, which means they aren’t fish.
Jellyfish can be clear (translucent) or have a vibrant array of one or more colors.

Some jellyfish are bioluminescent, which means they can produce their own light.
Jellyfish can be as small as .04 inch and as big as 6.6 feet.
Jellyfish don’t have a brain, bones, eyes or a heart.
A jellyfish’s body is 95% water. The other 5% is structural proteins, muscles, and nerve cells.
Jellyfish are marine (saltwater) animals, but a few can tolerate and be found in freshwater.
Jellyfish are carnivorous and eat crabs, fish, shrimp, tiny plants and other marine based animals.
Jellyfish use their tentacles to stun or paralyze their prey prior to eating it.
A jellyfish uses its mouth to eat food, discard waste and squirt out water to propel itself.
A group of jellyfish can be referred to as a bloom, smack or swarm.
Groups of jellyfish can contain over 100,000 of them.
The immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) is estimated to be immortal and have an infinite lifespan.
Jellyfish pose a great danger to humans. They don’t purposefully attack humans, usually it’s by accident when someone swims near one and touches it on accident.
A sting from a jellyfish’s tentacle can result in massive amounts of pain, scarring and even cause death.
The Chironex fleckeri, also called the sea wasp, is one of the most lethal jellyfish to humans
The box jellyfish, a group of 51 known species, is estimated to be the most venomous marine animals on our planet.
It’s a myth that urinating on a jellyfish sting will relieve the pain. One way to alleviate the pain from a sting is to remove the tentacles with tweezers and soak the area stung in hot water.

Pictures of Jellyfish Species

A photo of a Compass jellyfish.Credit: Tim Gray

A photo of a Cyanea jellyfish.Credit: NOAA

A photo of a Sea Nettle jellyfishCredit: Jim G / Flickr

Additional Resources on Jellyfish

What are jellyfish made of? – Discover what jellyfish are made out of on the NOAA website.
Jellyfish – Wikipedia – Learn more about jellyfish and the different species of jellyfish on the Wikipedia website.
Jellyfish – National Geographic Kids – Discover more jellyfish facts for kids on the National Geographic Kids website.

Read about About jellyfish for children on the site Vetatlas.ru

This article provides information about jellyfish for children

One of the amazing facts about jellyfish is that they are 95% water. Would you believe that the largest jellyfish grows up to 183 cm in diameter with tentacles, and its body length is about 30.5 m?

Given their bright appearance, it's hard to believe that some of these almost transparent jellyfish can bite people and cause death. Fortunately, not all jellyfish are poisonous and/or dangerous to humans. The venom is injected to paralyze the prey before eating it. There are over 2,000 species of jellyfish, learning the facts about jellyfish captivates many avid marine biologists. More information about jellyfish for children can be found below.

Fun facts about jellyfish for kids

Jellyfish belong to the type Cnidaria , whose characteristic feature is a gelatin-like inanimate body located between the epithelial layers. According to evolutionary studies, these curious sea creatures predated the massive reptiles (dinosaurs) on Earth. Since then, they have survived in various water conditions, in cold and warm waters, in shallow water and in deep sea water. Next, find out some amazing jellyfish facts for kids.

Medusa. Color and size Depending on the type of jellyfish, their color can be white, pink, yellow, orange, red, blue, green and multicolor. Would you believe that the width of the largest jellyfish - box jellyfish is about 183 cm? Their variable size and radially symmetrical body are also their distinguishing characteristics. Some species of jellyfish in diameter can be about 2.5 cm, the size of others can reach 4 m. The length of the tentacles depending on the species may also differ, in some species of jellyfish the length of the tentacles can reach 30.5 m.

Medusa. Nutrition Below on the domed or bell-shaped body is the mouth of a jellyfish, surrounded by tentacles. So what do jellyfish eat? They are true carnivores, feeding on small marine organisms, zooplankton, ctenophores, crustaceans and sometimes other jellyfish . After absorption of beneficial nutrients, waste products are excreted through the mouth opening. Predators for jellyfish are sunfish, sea turtles, plataxids and large marine animals.

Medusa. Movement The movement of jellyfish is largely dependent on the current of the ocean, tides, ebbs and air currents. Although they are less capable of horizontal movement, jellyfish can control vertical movement through muscle contractions. Some of them are sensitive to light and swim below during the daytime. Jellyfish need water to survive. Lack of water leads to desiccation and death of these gelatinous marine animals.

Poisonous jellyfish You may have seen a jellyfish with a body structure similar to a cubic umbrella. Such jellyfish are box jellyfish. An important fact that children should be aware of is that they are naturally venomous and they produce painful bites. box jellyfish has several tentacles, each with approximately 500,000 nematocytes. These special cages contain poison for the bites of predators and humans that get in the way of the jellyfish.

One of the species box jellyfish , known as "sea wasp" (scientific name Chironex fleckeri ) is considered the most poisonous species, due to the highest number of deaths from it. In the Philippines, the number of deaths from this deadly jellyfish is 20-40 cases per year. Other poisonous species of jellyfish are the Irukandji jellyfish Malo kingi and Carukia barnesi.

Treatment of jellyfish stings Fortunately, box jellyfish do not intentionally attack people. However, anyone who accidentally gets too close to her tentacles can be bitten by this jellyfish . There are some disturbing facts about baby jellyfish. To save a person's life, immediate treatment for a jellyfish sting is required. An effective first aid is to pour a small amount of vinegar over the bite site. If the wound is left untreated, the poison can soon worsen the functioning of the heart. The venom of this jellyfish is neurotoxic, which can lead to the death of a child within three minutes.

Jellyfish as food Jellyfish are eaten in many parts of the world. Non-poisonous species of jellyfish are available on the international market for culinary purposes. After catching jellyfish, the procedure for their preparation follows, during which their mucous lining and gonads are removed. The remaining edible parts are treated with salt and a mixture of alum. The final product sold on the market is salty and crunchy in taste.

Information about eared aurelia is also quite interesting for children. The big-eared aurelia also bites, but its bite is more painless and short-lived. This is a species of small jellyfish that barely live for 6 months in their natural habitat. The causes of death after breeding are: lack of food, high temperature and disease. However, in a controlled aquarium environment where there are no predators or competition for food, they can live for years.

Isn't this information about jellyfish interesting for children? The most important information about jellyfish is that they have a transparent body and poisonous tentacles that are difficult for swimmers and divers to notice. If they accidentally swim up to the jellyfish, after just a few seconds, the jellyfish injects its venom from its tentacles. To avoid such incidents, people should take precautions before diving into water in regions where there are many jellyfish .

11 facts about jellyfish - mysterious sea animals that prove that nature knows how to throw surprises

Facts about jellyfish, with the look of which nature wanted to say that she can create any creature.

Do you know what is the scariest sea creature? “Shark,” many of us will answer confidently, with a slight chuckle. Did you know that despite their reputation, most sharks are not actually dangerous to humans! In fact, one of the most dangerous creatures in the ocean, as well as the most mysterious, is the jellyfish. Don't believe? Don't be quick to smile. We will now try to prove it to you. Yes, jellyfish are beautiful! But let us explain that jellyfish are one of the strangest creatures on our planet, which once again proves that nature in our world loves to play pranks, as if hinting to us: “Are you weak to repeat this?”

So, we at 1Gai. Ru have collected unusual facts about jellyfish for you, which we tell you about below. So sit back and learn some interesting things about these strange creatures, then share your delight with friends and colleagues.

1. Jellyfish literally have no brains. They just swim in the oceans and seas with ZERO brain cells. They are made up of three layers: the outer layer, called the epidermis; a middle layer of a thick, elastic, jelly-like substance called mesoglea; and an inner layer called the gastrodermis.

The elementary nervous system, or nerve network, allows jellyfish to smell, detect light, and respond to other stimuli. The medusa's simple digestive cavity acts like a stomach and intestines, with a single opening for the mouth and anus.

2. They don't have a heart or blood either

^{dreamstime.com}

^{Schatzif / Getty Images/ iStockphoto}

95% layer of honey-meadows8, or more than 95% of the medusa layer is 95% water but it also contains collagen and other fibrous proteins, as well as wandering amoebocytes that can devour debris and bacteria.

See also

19 true facts about the ocean that you won't find in school textbooks (Spoiler: there are a lot of viruses)

4. Jellyfish can sting you even if they are DEAD

90 Images Cavanty Images / Cavan Images RF

Perhaps your parents warned you at sea as a child not to touch jellyfish on the beach because they might bite you. And indeed it is. Jellyfish tentacles have tiny stingers called nematocysts that can detach, stick to the skin, and release venom.

The most amazing thing is that even if the jellyfish is dead, it can still bite you, because the cellular structure of the nematocyst persists long after the death of the animal. Nematocysts release a filament containing venom when a foreign object touches the cell and will continue to release venom until the cells are removed.

5. Some jellyfish have teeth!!!

^{Lagunatic Photo / Getty Images / iStockphoto}

Ctenophores (Beroid comb jellyfish / Ctenophora) have hundreds of small rows of cilia in their mouths that act like teeth and help them chew their prey.

^{Duangkamon Panyapatiphan / Getty Images/ iStockphoto}

Turritopsis nutricula, better known as the "immortal jellyfish", can change and transform its cells to go from adult to child and vice versa. By the way, such metamorphoses can be repeated countless times. It turns out that this species of jellyfish may be biologically immortal, except that they can be eaten by predators. But how is this possible? The key is in its life cycle. Usually adult jellyfish produce larvae that settle underwater. The larvae then turn into polyps. The polyps then bud off new jellies that grow into adults, and the cycle begins again. Turritopsis nutricula can reverse this process and return to the immature polyp stage after it grows into a mature individual.

See also

23 facts about the oceans

7. Do you know what is the most poisonous marine animal? It turns out that this is a certain type of MEDUSA!

^{Humberto Ramirez / Getty Images}

In particular, this is the Sea Wasp ( Chironex fleckeri / Australian box jellyfish / box jellyfish). Here is what the National Ocean Service writes about these dangerous jellyfish:

“Named after the shape of the body, the box jellyfish have tentacles covered with biological traps known as nematocysts - tiny spikes ("arrows," darts "") filled with poison. Humans and animals that are stung by these thorns and given this venom can experience paralysis, heart failure, cardiac arrest, and even death within minutes of being stung."

8. Box jellyfish have tentacles that reach a length of up to 3 meters

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When hunting, the tentacles of these jellyfish become thinner and stretch up to 3 meters in length. From each corner of the body of the box jellyfish, which resembles the appearance of a bell, up to 15 tentacles grow, the length of which can reach 3 meters. Each tentacle has about 5,000 stinging cells that are activated not by touch, but by the presence of a chemical on the victim's outer layer.

9. The sea wasp (box jellyfish) is not the largest jellyfish - it is actually the Hairy Cyanoea jellyfish, which has been recorded to reach 36.

5 meters in length

^{Stuart Westmorland / Getty Images}

" Hairy cyanide, a jellyfish that resembles a creature with a lion's mane, cannot be overlooked in the open ocean, where it prefers to swim. With tentacles up to 36 meters long and a dome diameter of 2 meters, some individuals can compete in size with the blue whale, the largest animal in the world.

10. A group of jellyfish is strong enough to destroy an entire 10-ton fishing boat Nomura. Each of the jellyfish can weigh up to 200 kg. The crew of the fishing boat was thrown into the sea when the vessel capsized, but the three men were rescued by another ship, the Mainichi newspaper reported. The Coast Guard said the weather was clear and the sea was calm at the time of the accident. Nomura is one of the largest jellyfish in the world, this species can grow up to 2 meters in diameter.