"BIG RED" new discovery

[nanoteuthis]

(a) I think Stellamedusa is a beautiful name.

(b) I think Stellamedusa is a beautiful jellyfish.

"Sorry, Clem."

 

[Clem]

Oh, okay.

No luck finding soft-body fossils of ammonites, but fossilized meter-wide jellyfish? Sure! No problem! Got them for you right here!

I'm leaving.

Clem

 

[Emperor]

Nature article on the new find:

http://www.nature.com/nsu/040202/040202-17.html

And what is the biggest jellyfish?

In 1865 a giant Lion's Mane jellyfish was found in Massachusetts Bay. The bell, or upper portion of this creature was was 7 1/2 feet and it's tentacles measured 120 feet long and a width of 245 ft..

In 1973, the Motor Vessle Kuranda, collided with a giant jellyfish that was estimated to have weighed 20 tons. The Captain of the Kuranda, Langley Smith, estimated the tentacles length to be over 200 ft in length.

With the aid of another ship, the giant jellyfish was forced off the front of the ship. A sample of the slime left behind was analyzed and found to be from a lion's mane jellyfish. One crew member of the Kudra died during this encounter after being stung by the creature.

In 1969 two divers, working out of Port Royal, encountered a jellyfish that they claimed was 150 to 200 ft in diameter. Were these men "spinnng a tale"? Not likely. In spite of high salaries... both repeatedly refused to dive in the area, ever, again. There also have been reports of giant jellyfish attacking small boats and pursuing divers.

http://wintersteel.homestead.com/files/JamesArticles/Sea_Monsters_Myth_and_Reality.htm

Although I suspect like the largest Giant Squid those sizes aren't confirmed and may be tall tales?

A more reasonable estimate is:

The Lion's Mane Jellyfish can grow to be one of the largest of all jellyfishes. Its disc-shaped bell can be over 1 m across and its trailing tentacles can reach more than 10 m in length.

http://faunanet.gov.au/wos/factfile.cfm?Fact_ID=14

Interesting to see that the giant squid isn't the only denizen of the deep to have such exagertations heaped uopn it

Emps

 

[Melissa]

Thanks, Emps. Lion's Mane scares me when I see it in my field guide, no desire to meet that one in the water!

Melissa

 

[nanoteuthis]

Resurrecting the Ctenophore/Cnidarian Thread

OK, we gave Clem a reprieve of four years. Now, anyone else agree it's time to talk about Ct/Cn again?

I will start with a question:

Are Comb Jellies poisonous or not? The reason is that I've been using the ID Ctenophore on some wordgame sites, and when people ask me the definition I say "A delicate little jellyfish with a powerful sting." Everyone seems to like that.

Now, to my chagrin, I find that nearly all relevant sites say Ctenophores do not have any stinging cells, though a few do mention that they carry some kind of poison. Which is correct? I've always liked the idea of being a shimmering, diaphanous living gem that you don't mess with, but if Ctenos don't pack a punch, then the ID isn't as clever as I thought it would be.

So, what's the definitive answer?

Ctaniphore

"I feel pretty, oh so pretty...."

 

[Jean]

I think the majority of ctenophores do not have stings (although they are predators) they use a sticky organ called a Colloblast to catch their prey. One ctenophore,Haeckelia eats the stinging tentacles of the hydromedusa Aegina and then retains the nematocysts and uses them in its own defense, this us called kleptocnidae. the book Invertebrates by Brusca & Brusca has a good summary of ctenophores.

J

 

[nanoteuthis]

Hi there Jean -

Thanks for the 411, disheartening though it may be to know that my "battle totem" can't defend itself without pinching weapons from more formidable inverts! (Kleptocnidae conjures up an image of a cteno being cuffed by a security guard, protesting that he just has a psychological problem.... ) But hey, they're still pretty as all getout!

Still on the subject of formidable inverts, just came across this fascinating article posted on the Oceana site:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004284019_sanddollar15m.html

Perhaps my new totem should be this guy:

 

[Octavarium]

Haeckelia's strategy is pretty amazing

 

[DWhatley]

I have read about a crab (commonly called the boxer or pom-pom crab) that does something similar. It holds stinging anemones in its claws for protection.

 

[Octavarium]

I have read about a crab (commonly called the boxer or pom-pom crab) that does something similar. It holds stinging anemones in its claws for protection.

I actually saw that crab in my LFS once, no objects for it to hold though, I really wanted to see that