Sea jellyfish. Ephemeral Creatures

Which tourist vacationing in Anapa has not encountered cute jelly-like creatures that roam the expanses of the Black Sea. Weightless jellyfish are permanent inhabitants of the local waters. Sometimes our underwater neighbors can be seen nearby or touched by their slippery body while swimming. Today we will talk about the most famous jellyfish of Anapa, which has a beautiful and romantic name called aurelia. Our beauty is often called names eared jellyfish, from our review the attentive reader will understand why.

Appearance

Externally, Aurelia looks like a floating transparent umbrella. The base of the body consists of a dome, the dimensions of which can reach up to 40 centimeters. If you look at the jellyfish from above, four horseshoes decorating the body are clearly visible. These are the gonads, depending on the sex of the aurelia, these horseshoes acquire different color and size. Inside the fleshy umbrella there is a stomach, and on the lower part there is a rectangular mouth opening, next to which you can see oral lobes that look like small ears. Along the edges of its rounded body, nature has awarded the Aurelia jellyfish with small but very important tentacles. The tentacle threads are equipped with stinging cells that can immobilize the smallest living creatures that the jellyfish feeds on. It turns out that Aurelia has eyes and balance organs, which are located inside the dome.

Habits

Aurelia chooses a pelagic lifestyle, i.e. likes to drift closer to upper layers water element. Here, especially when the sea warms up, there is enough plankton and small larvae, which make up the main diet of the eared jellyfish. Ears or oral cavities are necessary to more conveniently rake immobilized microscopic food. Stinging cells help make plankton more docile. Also in the warm season, when there are already a lot of tourists on the beaches of Anapa, the aurleia begins to mating season. The female carries eggs inside the dome; after fertilization, small larvae drift in the water. After some time, if the larvae do not end up in the stomachs of other jellyfish, they sink to the bottom and turn into a polyp. And this polyp, by budding, produces young jelly-like animals.

Researchers of marine flora and fauna claim that Aurelia uses ultrasonic waves for more successful hunting. By spreading the wave, it is easy to spot a cluster of plankton and head there for a big feast. Sometimes you can find whole clusters of such jellyfish. Human sensations when meeting jellyfish, different people are tolerated differently. Usually aurelia leaves a small burn that gradually goes away. The pain from a collision with an eared jellyfish is not as dangerous as the injury that can be left by a cornetrot jellyfish.

I was stung by a jellyfish, what should I do?

If your body has suffered from a jellyfish burn in Anapa, and you are afraid of the consequences, you need to do the following. First, be sure to rinse the burn area with sea or salt water, discard fresh water, it can activate stinging cells that remain on the wound. Next, lubricate the injury site with antihistamine ointments.
When you first find yourself on the site, keep an eye on your children; it is very important that the jellyfish’s tentacles do not come into contact with the human mucous membrane. If your child complains of itching and burning of the eyes or mouth, it is advisable to go to a health center.

Scientists do not give a definite answer to the question of how long jellyfish live. Many agree that the life cycle of these animals is short and the life expectancy of most species is from two to six months.

Recently, zoologists discovered that among representatives of this species there are specimens that never die and are always reborn. That is why the Turitopsis Nutricula jellyfish is considered to be the only immortal creature on the planet.

Who are jellyfish

When zoologists talk about jellyfish, they usually mean all mobile forms of coelenterate cnidarians (a group of multicellular invertebrate representatives of the animal world) that catch and kill their victims with the help of tentacles.

These amazing animals live only in salt water, and therefore they can be found in all oceans and seas of our planet (except internal ones), sometimes in closed lagoons or lakes with salt water on coral islands. Among the representatives of this class there are both heat-loving animals and those that prefer cold waters, species that live only near the surface of the water, and those that live only on the bottom of the ocean.

Jellyfish are solitary animals, since they do not communicate with each other in any way, even if currents bring them together, thus forming a colony.

We got ours modern name these creatures in the middle of the 18th century thanks to Karl Lineus, who hinted at the mythical head of the Gorgon Medusa, the resemblance to which he noticed in these representatives of the animal world. This name is not without reason, since these animals are similar to it.

This amazing animal consists of 98% water, and therefore has a transparent body with a slight tint, which in appearance resembles a jelly-like bell, umbrella or disk that moves by contracting the muscles of the bell wall.

Along the edges of the body there are tentacles, the appearance of which directly depends on what species it belongs to: in some they are short and thick, in others they are long and thin. Their number can vary from four to several hundred (but always a multiple of four, since representatives of this class of animals are characterized by radial symmetry).

These tentacles consist of string cells that contain poison and are therefore directly intended for hunting. It is interesting that even after death, jellyfish are able to sting for another fortnight. Some species can be deadly even to humans. For example, the animal known as the “Sea Wasp” is considered the most dangerous poisonous animal in the world’s oceans: scientists claim that its poison is enough to poison sixty people in a few minutes.

The outer part of the body is smooth and convex, while the lower part resembles a bag. In the center of the lower part there is a mouth: in some jellyfish it looks like a tube, in others it is short and wide, in others it resembles short clubs. This hole also serves to remove food debris.

These animals grow throughout their lives, and their size largely depends on the species: among them there are very small ones, no more than a few millimeters, and there are also huge ones, the body size of which exceeds two meters, and together with the tentacles - all thirty ( for example, the most large jellyfish world ocean, Cyanea, which lives in the North-West Atlantic, has a body size of more than 2 m, and with tentacles - almost forty).

Despite the fact that these marine animals lack brains and sensory organs, they have light-sensitive cells that act as eyes, thanks to which these organisms are able to distinguish darkness from light (they, however, are not able to see objects). Interestingly, some specimens glow in the dark, while in species living on great depth, the light is red, and for those that live closer to the surface it is blue.

Since these animals are primitive organisms, they consist of only two layers, connected thanks to a special adhesive substance - mesoglia:

external (ectoderm) - a kind of analogue of skin and muscles. The rudiments of the nervous system and germ cells are also located here;
internal (endoderm) - performs only one function: digests food.

Methods of transportation

Since all representatives of this class (even the largest individuals, whose weight exceeds several centners) are almost unable to resist sea currents, scientists consider jellyfish as representatives of plankton.

Most species still do not completely succumb to water flows and, although slowly, move, using the current and the thin muscle fibers of their body: contracting, they fold the body of the jellyfish like an umbrella - and the water that is in the lower part of the animal is sharply pushed out.

As a result, a strong jet is formed, pushing the animal forward. Therefore these sea creatures always move in the direction opposite to the mouth. They are helped to determine where exactly they need to move by the balance organs located on the tentacles.

Regeneration

One more interesting feature of these creatures is their ability to restore lost parts of the body - absolutely all the cells of these animals are interchangeable: even if this animal is divided into parts, it will restore them, forming two new individuals! If you do this with an adult jellyfish, an adult copy will appear; from a jellyfish larva, a larva will appear.

Reproduction

Looking at these amazing translucent creatures, many ask themselves the question of how jellyfish reproduce. Reproduction of jellyfish is an interesting and unusual process.

Answering the question of how jellyfish reproduce, it is worth noting that in this case, both sexual (they are heterosexual) and vegetative reproduction are possible. The first involves several stages:

In these animals, the sex cells mature in the gonads;
After the eggs and sperm mature, they come out through the mouth and are fertilized, resulting in the appearance of a jellyfish larva - a planula;
After some time, the planula settles to the bottom and attaches itself to something, after which a polyp appears on the basis of the planula, which reproduces by budding: on it, layering on top of each other, daughter organisms are formed;
After some time, they peel off and float away, revealing themselves as a newly born jellyfish.
The reproduction of some species differs somewhat from this pattern. For example, the pelagic jellyfish does not have a polyp stage at all - the cubs appear directly from the larva. But bougainvillea jellyfish can be said to be born, since polyps are formed directly in the gonads, without separating from the adults, without any intermediate stages.

Nutrition

These amazing animals are the most numerous predators on our planet. They feed mainly on plankton: fry, small crustaceans, and fish eggs. Larger specimens often catch small fish and smaller relatives.

Thus, jellyfish see almost nothing and do not have any sense organs; they hunt with the help of scratching tentacles, which, having sensed the touch of edible food on them, instantly inject poison into it, which paralyzes the victim, after which the jellyfish eats it. There are two more options for catching food (much depends on the type of jellyfish): the first is that the prey sticks to the tentacles, the second is that it gets entangled in them.

Classification

There are the following types jellyfish, differing from each other in structure.

Hydromedusa

Hydroid jellyfish are transparent, small in size (from 1 mm to 3 cm), four tentacles and a long tube-shaped mouth are attached to the body. Among the prominent representatives of hydromedusas is the jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula: the only creature discovered by people about which scientists have declared that it is immortal.

Having reached maturity, it sinks to the bottom of the sea, transforming into a polyp, on which new formations are formed, from which new jellyfish subsequently arise.

This process is repeated more than once, which means that it is constantly reborn, and can die only if it is eaten by some predator. These are the interesting facts about jellyfish that scientists recently told the world.

Scyphojellyfish

Scyphoid jellyfish have more complex structure compared to hydromedusae: they are larger than representatives of other species - the most big jellyfish in the world, the Cyanea jellyfish belongs precisely to this class. This giant jellyfish At about 37 meters long, it is one of the longest animals on Earth. Therefore, she eats a lot: during her life, the largest jellyfish eats about 15 thousand fish.

Scyphojellyfish have a more developed nervous and muscular system, a mouth surrounded by a huge number of stinging and tactile cells, and the stomach is divided into chambers.

Like all jellyfish, these animals are predators, but deep-sea animals also feed on dead organisms. The touch of a scyphoid jellyfish to a person is quite painful (the feeling as if bitten by a wasp), and a mark resembling a burn often remains at the point of contact. Its bite can also cause allergic reaction or even painful shock. Having seen this animal, it is advisable not to take risks and, when swimming past, not to touch it.

Some of the most striking specimens of this species, in addition to the Cyanea jellyfish, are also the Aurelia jellyfish (the most typical representative) and the Golden jellyfish - an animal that can only be seen on the Rocky Islands archipelago in Palau.

The golden jellyfish is notable for the fact that, unlike its relatives, who live only in the seas, it lives in Jellyfish Lake, which is connected to the ocean by underground tunnels and is filled with slightly salted water. Representatives of this species also differ from marine individuals in that they completely lack age spots, there are no stinging tentacles, as well as tentacles that surround the mouth.

Although the golden jellyfish is a scyphojellyfish, over the years it has turned into a completely different species that does not pose a danger to humans, since it has significantly lost its stinging ability. An interesting fact is that the Golden Jellyfish began to grow on its body green algae, from which it receives part of its nutrition. The Golden Jellyfish, like its marine relatives, feeds on plankton and has not lost the ability to migrate - in the morning it swims away to east coast, in the evening - sails to the west.

Box jellyfish

Box jellyfish have a more advanced nervous system compared to other representatives of the cnidarian class. They are the fastest of all jellyfish (able to reach speeds of up to 6 m/min) and can easily change the direction of their movement. They are also the most dangerous representatives jellyfish for humans: the bites of some representatives of box jellyfish can be fatal.

The most poisonous jellyfish in the world belongs to just this species, lives near the Australian coast and is called the Box Jellyfish or Sea Wasp: its poison can kill a person in just a few minutes. This wasp is almost transparent, of a pale blue hue, which is why it is difficult to notice in the water, which means it is easier to stumble upon.

The Sea Wasp is the largest jellyfish in its class - its body is the size of a basketball. When a sea wasp simply swims, its tentacles are reduced to 15 cm in length and are almost invisible. But when the animal hunts, they stretch up to three meters. Sea Wasps feed mainly on shrimp and small fish, and they themselves are caught and eaten sea turtles- the only animals on our planet that are insensitive to the poison of some of the most dangerous creatures on Earth.

Aurelia aurita is a scyphoid jellyfish of the Ulmaridae family from the order Discomedus (lat. Semaestomae).

This is the largest jellyfish found in the waters of the Black and Mediterranean seas. Her transparent umbrella reaches a diameter of 40 cm. When meeting her, it is recommended to be very careful, since even a light touch of her tentacle can cause a severe burn.

Spreading

Aurelia eared lives in the tropical and temperate waters of the seas and oceans of the planet, with the exception of the polar regions. The largest colonies of jellyfish are located in equatorial regions close to the coast.

Aurelia eareds easily tolerate pollution in their habitat and quickly adapt to environmental conditions, so they often settle in port waters or near the collectors of power plants that discharge warm waters.

Morphology

The body of Aurelia eared is 98% water. Along the edge of the umbrella there are receptor cells that perform the functions of balance organs and light-sensitive eyes. With their help, the jellyfish can identify prey and navigate in space.

The tentacles growing along the edge of the umbrella are designed to grab and move the victim to the oral cavities. Water, which constantly circulates in the intestinal cavity, plays a major role in the jellyfish’s circulatory system. Aurelia eared absorbs oxygen dissolved in water, carrying out gas exchange processes throughout its body.

Aurelia poison is not dangerous for all creatures. For example, young pilot fish often hide between its tentacles. They are not afraid of poisonous stinging glands. Very often they can eat plenty of leftover food from their owner.

Reproduction

During their development, scyphoid jellyfish undergo alternating generations. Polyps reproduce by budding, and jellyfish reproduce sexually.

Adult males release reproductive products into the water.

Then they penetrate into the brood chambers of females, where their fertilization and development subsequently occur. After this process is completed, the eggs remain in the females’ mouths until they turn into larvae. Then the larvae (planulae) detach from the mother’s body and sink to the bottom. There they develop into a single polyp called a scyphilistoma.

Polyp leads sedentary image life. With the help of tentacles, it hunts for plankton. In winter, all adult jellyfish die, leaving only polyps. With the arrival of spring, it begins to bud and produces up to 30 young jellyfish. This process is called strobilization. One polyp gives life to both male and female individuals.

The larvae of tiny jellyfish begin to swim freely. Outwardly, they are very similar to adult individuals, but only very small. The diameter of their umbrellas reaches 2 mm.

After a month, they increase to 1 cm and acquire a well-formed umbrella, from which tentacles begin to grow. After 3 months, they develop gonads and are ready to reproduce.

Behavior

Jellyfish drift in large colonies coastal waters. They move in a reactive manner. They draw water into the umbrella and then, contracting, push it out.

At night, Aurelia eared descends to a depth of 10 meters, and during the day it rises closer to the surface. The main food consists of small fish, planktonic organisms and small jellyfish of other species.

Aurelia's weapons are stinging cells that can infect the victim with poison. The oral lobes pick up immobilized prey and place it in the mouth, from where food enters the intestinal cavity. The oral lobes of Aurelia are outgrowths from the oral opening. Their internal surfaces are strewn with stinging glands containing deadly poison.

The intestines begin to secrete digestive enzymes and then begin to absorb the digested food. Undigested food remains are brought to the surface through the mouth.

Description

The diameter of Aurelia eared can reach 40 cm, and weight up to 10 kg. The body of the jellyfish looks like an umbrella with 8 cutouts along the edge. The flat umbrella is filled with a thick layer of gelatinous substance. Many tentacles grow along its edge.

The oral cavity is surrounded by 4 wide oral lobes. Receptor cells located along the edges serve as sensory organs.

The lifespan of Aurelia eared is about one year.

And it is one of the species of sea cnidarians. Looking at this beautiful jellyfish, you would never think that it is one of the ten most dangerous creatures on the planet.

Why her called a sea wasp? Yes, because it “stings” and the affected area swells and turns red, like an insect bite. However, it is believed that its bite will kill more people than from an attack.

sea wasp not the largest jellyfish in your class. Its dome reaches the size of a basketball, which is 45 cm. The weight of the largest individual is 3 kg. The color of the jellyfish is transparent with a slight bluish tint, this is due to the fact that it itself consists of 98% water.

The shape of the dome is similar to a round cube, with a bunch of tentacles extending from each corner. Each of the 60 is covered with many stinging cells, which are filled deadly poison. They respond to chemical signals of a protein nature.

At rest, the tentacles are small - 15 cm, and at the time of hunting they become thinner and stretch up to 3 meters. The decisive lethal factor in an attack is overall size stung tentacles.

If it exceeds 260 cm, then death occurs within a few minutes. The amount of poison in one is enough for 60 people to say goodbye to life in three minutes. Australian danger sea wasp and the fact that she is practically invisible in the water, so the meeting with her happens suddenly.

The biggest mystery for zoologists is the 24 eyes of this jellyfish. At each corner of the dome, there are six of them: four of which react to the image, and the remaining two react to light.

It is not clear why the jellyfish needs them in such quantities and where the information received is sent. After all, she lacks not only a brain, but even a primitive central nervous system. The box jellyfish also lacks respiratory, circulatory and excretory systems.

Sea wasp lives off the coast of Northern Australia and in the west in the Indian part Pacific Ocean. More recently, jellyfish were discovered on the coast of the South- East Asia. Tourists visiting Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia need to be more careful when swimming in open waters.

Character and lifestyle of the sea wasp

The sea wasp is active dangerous predator. At the same time, she does not chase prey, but freezes motionless, but at the slightest touch the victim receives her portion of poison. Jellyfish, unlike or, stings more than once, but uses a whole series of “bites”. Gradually increasing the dose of poison to the lethal level.

Australian sea wasp An excellent swimmer, she easily turns and maneuvers between algae and in coral thickets, developing speeds of up to 6 m/min.

Jellyfish become more active at dusk, rising to the surface in search of food. During the day, they lie on a warm sandy bottom, in shallow water and avoid coral reefs.

These box jellyfish pose a great threat to human life, but they themselves never attack him, but rather even prefer to swim away. Sea wasp bite a person can only accidentally, more often the victims are divers without special suits. Upon contact with poison, the skin immediately turns red, swells, and unbearable pain is felt. The cause of death is most often cardiac arrest.

It is very difficult to provide timely assistance in the water, but none of the available methods work on the shore either. Neither vinegar nor water and cola will help. It is strictly forbidden to bandage the affected area.

The only thing that can be done is to administer an antitoxic serum and urgently take the victim to the hospital. But even then, death can occur within 24 hours after contact. Burn site sea wasp looks like a ball of red, it can be seen on photo.

The amazing thing is that you can even get poisoned poison dead sea wasp. It retains its toxic properties for a whole week. The cause of a burn can even be the poison of a dried tentacle after it gets wet.

Off the coast of Australia in large quantities jellyfish appear in summer months(November - April). To protect vacationers from sea wasps, public beaches are surrounded with special nets through which this species cannot swim. dangerous jellyfish. Installed in unprotected places special signs, which warn tourists about the danger.

Sea wasp nutrition

Eating sea wasps small fish and bottom organisms. Their favorite delicacy is. This is her way of hunting. The sea wasp extends its elongated tentacles and freezes. Prey swims by, touches them, and the poison immediately enters its body. She dies, and the jellyfish catches her and swallows her.

These sea wasps dangerous for all living organisms except marine ones. She, the only one on the planet, is protected from them. The poison simply has no effect on her. And he eats this type of jellyfish with pleasure.

Reproduction and lifespan

The breeding season for jellyfish begins in the summer months, when they gather in whole “swarms” and swim to the shores. Many beaches in Australia are closed during this time. The process of reproduction in the sea wasp itself is interesting. It combines several pathways: sexual, budding and division.

The male releases a portion of sperm directly into the water, not far from the swimming female. The latter swallows it and the development of larvae occurs in the body, which certain time, settling on the seabed, they attach to shells, stones or other underwater objects.

After a few days it becomes a polyp. It gradually reproduces by budding and grows a young jellyfish. When the sea wasp becomes independent, it breaks away and swims away. The polyp itself then dies instantly.

Jellyfish reproduce once in their lives, after which they die. Their average duration life is 6-7 months. During this time, their growth does not stop. Sea wasps are not on the verge of extinction as a species and their abundance leaves no doubt that they will not appear on the pages of the Red Book.

Jellyfish are amazing and very extraordinary creatures. Read and watch

Jellyfish are amazing and very extraordinary creatures, evoking a whole range of emotions from delight and admiration to disgust and fear. Jellyfish can be found in every sea, in every ocean, on the surface of the water or at a depth of many kilometers.
Jellyfish are the oldest animals on the planet, their history goes back at least 650 million years. There is an incredible number of different species in nature, but even now the emergence of new ones, previously unknown to mankind, is being recorded.

Jellyfish washed up on the sand of Belmedie beach, Scotland

In fact, jellyfish or the medusoid generation are one of the phases life cycle cnidarians Medusozoa, which are usually divided into three types: hydroid, scyphoid and box jellyfish. Jellyfish reproduce sexually. There are males who produce sperm and females who produce eggs. As a result of their fusion, the so-called planula is formed - a jellyfish larva. The planula settles to the bottom, where over time it turns into a polyp (asexual generation of jellyfish). Having reached full maturity, the polyp begins to bud off a young generation of jellyfish, often completely different from the adults. In scyphoid jellyfish, the newly separated specimen is called ether.

The body of jellyfish is a jelly-like dome, which, through contractions, allows them to move in the water column. Tentacles equipped with stinging cells (cnidocytes) with a burning poison are designed for hunting and capturing prey.

Jellyfish at Shark Bay Manaday Reef Aquarium in Las Vegas, Nevada

The term "jellyfish" was first used by Carl Linnaeus in 1752, as an allusion to the animal's resemblance to the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Becoming popular around 1796, the name began to be used to identify other medusoid species of animals, such as ctenophores.

Jellyfish on display in Long Beach, California

Did you know? 10 interesting facts about jellyfish:

The world's largest jellyfish can reach 2.5 meters in diameter and have tentacles more than 40 meters long.

Jellyfish are capable of reproducing both sexually and by budding and fission.

Medusa " Australian wasp"is the most dangerous poisonous animal in the world's oceans. The venom of a sea wasp is enough to kill 60 people.

Even after the death of a jellyfish, its tentacles can sting for more than two weeks.

Jellyfish do not stop growing throughout their lives.

Large concentrations of jellyfish are called “swarms” or “blooms.”

Some species of jellyfish are eaten in East Asia, considered a “delicacy.”

Jellyfish don't have a brain respiratory system, circulatory, nervous and excretory systems.

The rainy season significantly reduces the number of jellyfish living in salty waters.

Some female jellyfish can produce up to 45,000 larvae (planulae) per day.

The most incredible and bizarre shapes

Aequorea Victoria or crystal jellyfish

Lilac sting

Elegant dance of jellyfish

Aurelia - “butterflies”

Medusa - crown

Eared aurelia (lat. Aurelia aurita) is a species of scyphoid from the order of disc jellyfish (Semaeostomeae)

glowing ctenophore

Pink jellyfish

The pink jellyfish from the Scyphozoan family was discovered quite recently, just over 10 years ago, in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Some individuals of this species reach 70 cm in diameter. Pink jellyfish can cause serious and painful burns, especially if a swimmer inadvertently ends up among a large concentration of these creatures.

Antarctic Diplulmaris

Antarctic Diplulmaris is one of the species of jellyfish of the family Ulmaridae. This jellyfish was recently discovered in Antarctica, in the waters of the continental shelf. The Antarctic Diplulmaris is only 4 cm in diameter.

Colony of jellyfish

Aurelia aurita or moon jellyfish

Pacific sea nettle (Chrysaora fuscescens)

Flower cap jellyfish (Olindias formosa)

Flower cap jellyfish (lat. Olindias Formosa) is one of the species of hydroid jellyfish from the order Limnomedusae. Basically, these cute creatures live off the southern coast of Japan. Feature– motionless hovering near the bottom in shallow water. The diameter of the “flower cap” usually does not exceed 7.5 cm. The tentacles of the jellyfish are located not only along the edge of the dome, but also over its entire surface, which is not at all typical for other species.
A flower cap burn is not fatal, but is quite painful and can lead to severe allergic reactions.

Scyphoid jellyfish rhizostoma (Rhizostoma pulmo) or cornet

Incredible bioluminescent jellyfish

Jellyfish - an inhabitant of the coast of the Federated States of Micronesia

Purple-banded jellyfish (Chrysaora colorata)

The purple-striped jellyfish (lat. Chrysaora Colorata) from the class Scyphozoa is found only near the coast of California. This rather large jellyfish reaches 70 cm in diameter, the length of the tentacles is about 5 meters. A characteristic feature is the striped pattern on the dome. In adults it has a bright purple color, in juveniles it is pink. Typically, purple-striped jellyfish live alone or in small groups, unlike most other species of jellyfish, which often form huge colonies. The Chrysaora Colorata burn is quite painful, but not fatal to humans.

Pelagia Noctiluca, known in Europe as "lilac stinger"

Giant Nomura jellyfish (Nemopilema nomurai)

Giant Nomura jellyfish (Latin: Nemopilema nomurai) is a species of scyphoid jellyfish from the order Cornerotae. This species predominantly inhabits the East China and Yellow Seas. The size of individuals of this species is truly impressive! They can reach 2 meters in diameter and weigh about 200 kg.
The name of the species was given in honor of Mr. Kan'ichi Nomura, general director fisheries in Fukui Prefecture. In early 1921, Mr. Nomura first collected and studied a previously unknown species of jellyfish.

Currently, the number of Nomura jellyfish in the world is growing. Possible reasons population growth, scientists believe climate change, overexploitation water resources and pollution environment.
In 2009, a 10-ton fishing trawler capsized in Tokyo Bay with three crew members trying to remove nets overflowing with dozens of Nomura jellyfish.

Great red jellyfish (Tiburonia granrojo)