1.

Some jellyfish can glow in the dark

Many jellyfish have bioluminescent organs which emit blue or green light.

The light emission is typically activated by touch, which serves to startle predators. This

light may also help jellyfish in a number of other ways, like attracting prey or warning

other organisms that a particular area is occupied.

2. Jellyfish are the oldest multi-organ animal

Jellyfish have roamed the seas for at least 600 million years! Yes, before dinosaurs or

bony fish, before creepy crawlies or trees, before flowers or ferns or fungi – there were

jellyfish.

Jellyfish have survived five mass extinctions, including the Great Dying (or the Permian-

Triassic extinction event) which wiped out up to 70% of life on Earth.

3. Jellyfish don’t have brains

Not only that, they also have no blood, no bones, and no heart. However, they do have

an elementary nervous system with receptors that detect light, vibrations, and chemicals

in the water. These abilities, along with the sense of gravity, allow jellyfish to orient and

navigate in the water.

4. Jellyfish are found all over the world

Jellyfish are found in every ocean in every corner of the planet, from the coldest

freezing waters of the Arctic oceans, to the warm, temperate waters of the tropical

oceans.
They exist in different water conditions; at different depths from the ocean floor to the

surface. They’re even found in some freshwater lakes and ponds!

5. Some jellyfish are immortal

Ever dreamed about being immortal? The good news is that you can be immortal. The

bad news is that you have to become a floating blob of jelly to do so.

That’s right, there’s a death-defying species of jelly conveniently called the immortal

jellyfish (or Turritopsis dohrnii) found in the Mediterranean Sea and in the waters of

Japan that’s biologically immortal.

6. Not all jellyfish have tentacles

What are jellyfish known for? Some may say their trailing tentacles, but actually not all

jellyfish species have tentacles. The Deepstaria, for example, is a genus of jellyfish

known for their thin, sheet-like bodies and their lack of tentacles.

7. There’s a giant jellyfish called the hair jelly

The lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) – also known as the giant jellyfish or the hair

jelly – is the largest known species of jellyfish.

The largest recorded specimen was found washed up on the shore of Massachusetts

Bay in 1870. It had a bell with a diameter of 7 feet 6 inches and tentacles 121.4 feet

long – longer than a blue whale and is considered one of the longest known animals in

the world.
8. 150 million people are stung by jellyfish each year

That means that in the few minutes or so it’s taken you to read this far, more than 1,000

people have been stung by jellies.

9. Jellyfish stings can be deadly

The Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) is considered the most venomous marine

animal on earth. Its sting can cause paralysis, cardiac arrest, and death within a few

minutes – barely enough time for a victim to swim to shore!

10. Jellyfish have many predators

Despite their venomous defenses, jellyfish are not without predators. Tunas, sharks,

swordfish, sea turtles, and even some species salmon are jellyfish’s natural enemies

that are known to prey upon jellies.