Box Jellyfish Research Paper
Nolan Hall
GW 140
20 February 2012
Box Jellyfish: Nothing Square About It For many people, water is a source of relaxation and comfort, while others believe that it can be dangerous and deceiving, but often times people do not look at what lives among it. Whether it is a body of fresh water, or a body of salt water, many creatures lurk among the depths of seas, oceans, lakes, and rivers without gaining the attention of human beings. With this, a plethora of sea creatures that tend to remain hidden can harm human beings. People believe that sharks are the deadliest sea creature on the planet, however, this is a false statement. Sharks are most known for their terrifying attacks on humans, but they lack the qualities of a deadly creature. Brute force and sharp teeth can only take this animal so far and many attacks do not result in death. Sharks are vicious and frightening animals, but there is not one creature throughout the Earth’s oceans that is more deadly than the box jellyfish. This aquatic monster has placed fear into the entire world with the lethality it has displayed toward humans. The box jellyfish, also known as the sea wasp or marine stinger, is a square shaped jellyfish that inhabits the coasts of almost any tropical area in the world, but typically the more dangerous box jellies hover around the tropical Indo-Pacific areas, which is around Australia (“Box Jellyfish”). With tentacles as long as ten meters, this jellyfish could easily wrap itself around someone, which would not be good for that poor soul. They have four subsets of eyes, six in each subset and twenty-four total, which closely resemble human eyes, complete with retinas, corneas, and lenses. Along with all of its anatomical features, the box jellyfish is like all other jellies, in that its sting packs a punch. But the sea wasp has proven to be one of the deadliest and most venomous creatures in the sea. However, the venom is not the only reason for the deaths that these organisms cause.
GW 140
20 February 2012
Box Jellyfish: Nothing Square About It For many people, water is a source of relaxation and comfort, while others believe that it can be dangerous and deceiving, but often times people do not look at what lives among it. Whether it is a body of fresh water, or a body of salt water, many creatures lurk among the depths of seas, oceans, lakes, and rivers without gaining the attention of human beings. With this, a plethora of sea creatures that tend to remain hidden can harm human beings. People believe that sharks are the deadliest sea creature on the planet, however, this is a false statement. Sharks are most known for their terrifying attacks on humans, but they lack the qualities of a deadly creature. Brute force and sharp teeth can only take this animal so far and many attacks do not result in death. Sharks are vicious and frightening animals, but there is not one creature throughout the Earth’s oceans that is more deadly than the box jellyfish. This aquatic monster has placed fear into the entire world with the lethality it has displayed toward humans. The box jellyfish, also known as the sea wasp or marine stinger, is a square shaped jellyfish that inhabits the coasts of almost any tropical area in the world, but typically the more dangerous box jellies hover around the tropical Indo-Pacific areas, which is around Australia (“Box Jellyfish”). With tentacles as long as ten meters, this jellyfish could easily wrap itself around someone, which would not be good for that poor soul. They have four subsets of eyes, six in each subset and twenty-four total, which closely resemble human eyes, complete with retinas, corneas, and lenses. Along with all of its anatomical features, the box jellyfish is like all other jellies, in that its sting packs a punch. But the sea wasp has proven to be one of the deadliest and most venomous creatures in the sea. However, the venom is not the only reason for the deaths that these organisms cause.
Cited: Barnett, Jesse. "Five Deadly Sea Creatures of the World." Scienceray. 14 July 2008. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. "Box Jellyfish." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia. Web. 26 Jan. 2012.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_jellyfish>. "Chironex Fleckeri (Box Jellyfish)." Centre for Disease Control (Jan. 2008). Northern Territory Government. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://www.health.nt.gov.au/library/scripts/objectifyMedia.aspx?file=pdf/26/02.pdf>. "Deadliest Creature: Sea Wasp (Marine Stinger)." Extreme Science. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. <http://www.extremescience.com/sea-wasp.htm>. Luis, Cendan. "The World’s Deadliest Marine Killer: The Box Jellyfish." Vertebrate Journal(2011). Web. 25 Jan. 2012. <http://www.vertebratejournal.org/1027/zoology/marine-biology/the-world%E2%80%99s-deadliest-marine-killer-the-infamous-box-jellyfish/>. Simon, Mallory. "Girl Stung by Venomous Box Jellyfish 'shouldn 't Be Alive '" Web log post.This Just In. CNN, 27 Apr. 2010. Web. 25 Jan. 2012. <http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/27/girl-stung-by-venomous-box-jellyfish-shouldnt-be-alive/>. Straw, Rebecca. "The Box Jellyfish: Australia’s Other Marine Killer." Journal of Young Investigators. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. <http://www.jyi.org/features/ft.php?id=189>.