Jellyfish: The Oceans’ Bartenders
by Pamela Cohen
O
f all the creatures in the great seas, jellyfish
are one of the most intriguing, eliciting curiosity, mystery
and even fear. These gelatinous masses exist in every ocean
and predate the dinosaur era. Despite the nomenclature,
they are not fish. They possess no brains, bones, muscles
or blood and can be composed of over 90 percent water.
Jellyfish are carnivorous and have a lifecycle of no
more than a year. Interestingly, they are preyed upon by
seaturtles as a source of food.
Jellyfish appear somewhat eerie, almost
supernatural, and stunningly beautiful. Watch a child
viewing a jellyfish as it pulses through the waters of an
aquarium, and you’ll see a look of wonderment. The
species is overwhelmingly diverse in its appearance. The
traditional bulbous transparent dome with ribbonlike
tentacles dangling from the posterior is not always the
norm. Tints run the entire color gamut. The organism’s
own pigments or micro-organisms that dwell symbiotically
can influence the color hues. One particular genus
possesses fluorescent proteins that emit light to appear
green and create bioluminescence. Size varies from
millimeters to a hundred feet in length, with the largest
species rivaling the length of blue whales.
The notion that a jellyfish actively stings elicits a
fear factor. Tentacles can be mildly sticky to completely
deadly. Most of the species off the Kiawah coast inflict
only mild stings, with cannonball and sea nettles being the
most common ones. The body design allows for response
to danger as well as food sources. Receptors from a
rudimentary nervous system sense stimuli. Nematocysts or
stinging barbs, which supply a paralyzing toxin to unlucky
prey, line the tentacles of matu