11 Extremely Unsettling Facts About Jellyfish That Just Might Mess You Up
Hello, good people of the internet. Do you know what the most terrifying sea creature is?
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"A shark*," you confidently answer with a light chuckle.
*Despite their reputation, most sharks are actually not a danger to humans!
WRONG. IT'S THIS GUY RIGHT HERE.
"But...that's just a jellyfish," you whimper, confused.
Yes, jellyfish are beautiful! But they're also SCARY AS HELL. Allow me to explain:
1.First of all, they literally do not have brains. They're just out here swimming around with ZERO brain cells.
2.They don't have hearts either.
3.They are literally just 95 fucking percent water!!!
4.They can still sting you even after they're DEAD.
5.Some jellyfish have teeth!!!
Beroid comb jellyfish have hundreds of small rows of cilia in their mouths that act as teeth and help them chew their prey.
6.One type of jellyfish can actually reverse age.
Turritopsis nutricula, better known as the "immortal jellyfish," can alter and transform its cells to go from adult to baby and back again. Because jellyfish just HAVE to live forever, don't they?!
7.Know what the most venomous marine animal is? Surprise — it's a type of JELLYFISH!
More specifically, it's the Australian Box Jellyfish. According to the National Ocean Service: "Box jellyfish, named for their body shape, have tentacles covered in biological booby traps known as nematocysts — tiny darts loaded with poison. People and animals unfortunate enough to be injected with this poison may experience paralysis, cardiac arrest, and even death, all within a few minutes of being stung." Holy. CRAP.
8.In fact, box jellyfish have tentacles than reach up to 10 freakin' feet long. Scared yet?
Nickelodeon
Yes, I know Squidward is an octopus. Hush.
9.But that's not the biggest jellyfish — that's actually the Lion’s Mane Jellyfish, which has been recorded to reach 120 feet long.
This is fine. I'm fine.
10.Still not freaked out? What if I told you that a group of jellyfish is powerful enough to take down an entire 10-ton fishing boat?
Disney
Yes, that really happened.
11.And finally, jellyfish sometimes just casually eat each other.
TVPeru
They're heartless, remember?
Jellyfish, you absolute MONSTERS.
That being said, they're still very important to our ecosystem! To learn more, click here.