Tag archives for Jellyfish
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Photograph from Kyodo via AP
Japan may be invaded by giant jellyfish again this year. Nomura’s jellyfish can be bigger than humans (up to 440 pounds, or 200 kilograms), and they’re big trouble for people fishing on the coasts. Nomura’s jellyfish breed in the waters off of the coast of China. From there they move to the coasts of Japan. The jellies clog nets and ruin potential catches with their toxic stings. This damage can cost the coastal fishers billions of yen.
Researchers at Hiroshima University have been monitoring sites where Nomura’s jellyfish breed, and they’ve found large numbers of the jellies, meaning that a new invasion may not be far away.
Read more about the jellyfish invasion on National Geographic News.
Learn more about Nomura’s jellyfish on National Geographic Kids.
Get the scoop on jellyfish in this Creature Feature.
Photograph courtesy University of Pennsylvania
What makes animals glow? Some of them, like jellyfishes and scorpions, glow under ultraviolet lights because of naturally occurring proteins or other materials. Other animals, such as monkeys or puppies, glow because scientists have added new proteins into their DNA. The glowing mice in the photo above received DNA with the glowing protein from their father.
Check out the glowing gallery on National Geographic News.
Photograph courtesy Martin George/QVMAG
Jellyfish expert Lisa Gershwin was swimming near the coast of Tasmania and noticed a colorful blob swimming nearby. She was able to safely photograph this specimen by placing it in a small aquarium called a “phototank.” This new jellyfish species doesn’t sting, but the 5-inch (13-centimeter) long creature is very delicate and touching it can cause it to shatter.
The rainbow glow on the jellyfish comes from light reflecting off the creature’s cilia. Cilia are small hairlike projections that the jellyfish uses to swim.
Read more about this bright spot in the ocean on National Geographic News.
Watch a video of other jellyfish species on National Geographic Kids.
