They’re brainless, floating, sometimes transparent creatures, possessing an ethereal beauty and occasionally — a deadly sting. Today we’re talking about Jellyfish. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by the American Museum of Natural History.
Dave Wrobel is a Senior Aquarist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He tells us that Jellyfish- or Jellies as they’re also known, have two distinct stages of reproduction.
“When conditions are right, they will produce eggs. They have separate sexes: males and females. Females will produce eggs and the males release sperm and fertilize the eggs and then that will form a little larvae that is cast out into the sea and eventually, that will settle down and form what’s known as a polyp.”
Soon, these polyps on the sea floor will begin releasing small, free floating jellies. Once they’re on their own, the jellyfish begin to grow, feeding on tiny organisms such as fish larvae and crustaceans, which they immobilize with their stinging apparatus, called nematocysts. And what should you do if you happen get stung by a jellyfish?
“If you get stung by a jelly, the best thing to do is to rinse the tentacles off with salt water. It’s best not to use fresh water because that can cause the stinging nematocysts to fire. So you want to get rid of the tentacles as soon as possible and then you can use vinegar will prevent the nematocysts from firing, if you have vinegar available. Mainly rinsing and ice are the best things to do.”
Most jellyfish have the capability of stinging, but only a very small number of species have been known to inflict serious harm on humans.
Additional funding for Pulse of the Planet has been provided by the National Science Foundation. I’m Jim Metzner.