Jellies: Phantoms of the Deep (Big Pics Inside 56Kers)

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2005-08-10 02:43am

Some of the animals I work with as a husbandry volunteer/student who needs to build resume

Pictures taken by the love of my life, whose initials happen to be KY. Tell me I lucked out on that one, wooooo!

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2005-08-10 11:08am

I get creeped out by them a bit, ever since that movie 'Sphere'. But they are amazing little creatures.

Got bioluminescent ones?

Tasoth · Post by **Tasoth** » 2005-08-10 12:24pm

How poisonous are those want? I doubt they've got things such as a sea wasp, but you never know until you ask.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2005-08-11 09:20am

@ Shroom Man:

I'm pretty sure we don't, we used to have some Comb Jellies that refracted light off their cilia though in a oruscating pattern that was absulutely messed up, and a couple exhibits of flashlight fish and pine cone ifsh that are bioluminescent

@ Tasoth:

The most venomous one we have is a West Coast Sea Nettle, which could really wreck you. But most of the ones we have on display aren't capable of injuring someone the same way a box jelly or a Man I War (which isn't a jelly, but a hydroid) could do.

Mrs Kendall · Post by **Mrs Kendall** » 2005-08-11 10:01am

What do these West Coast Sea Nettle ones do to you? Can they kill you?

Post by **weemadando** » 2005-08-11 08:27pm

I love jellyfish. I mean, they worry me (Australia - jellyfish are just one more thing that will kill you), but some of them are amongst the most beautiful things I've ever encountered.

While SCUBA diving at Bicheno once, a friend and I encountered a group of jellies which were about 6-8 inches long and shaped like an stretched egg. They had a hole running lengthwise through their body that was lined with cilia which sparkled all the colours of the rainbow as they moved. They had 4 "wings" stretching off the diagonals of their body, each a few inches long and again, lined with cilia which sparkled. And they also had a short tentacle between each set of wings that acted almost like a prehensile limb...

It was absolutely beautiful. I shall try to find a picture of one.

Post by **weemadando** » 2005-08-11 08:45pm

That's them... Beautiful no? Imagine a cloud of them, slowly moving around and those strips of colour just constantly cycling through colours... Amazing.

Tasoth · Post by **Tasoth** » 2005-08-11 08:53pm

Cnidarians are indeed beautiful creatures. Those of you wondering what that foreign word means, it's the Family(been a while) that jellyfish belong to. Also includes Anemone and Hydras.

Fear the minute pond hunter.

wautd · Post by **wautd** » 2005-08-12 02:58pm

Tasoth wrote:Cnidarians are indeed beautiful creatures. Those of you wondering what that foreign word means, it's the Family(been a while) that jellyfish belong to. Also includes Anemone and Hydras.

Fear the minute pond hunter.

wasnt that thing from Deep Rising also such creature? Rather cute

Temjin · Post by **Temjin** » 2005-08-12 03:27pm

I hate Jellyfish. I know a lot of people consider them beautiful, but they just really fucking creep me out.

Tasoth · Post by **Tasoth** » 2005-08-12 07:40pm

wautd wrote:
Tasoth wrote:Cnidarians are indeed beautiful creatures. Those of you wondering what that foreign word means, it's the Family(been a while) that jellyfish belong to. Also includes Anemone and Hydras.

Fear the minute pond hunter.
wasnt that thing from Deep Rising also such creature? Rather cute

Nope, that would be the kraken, a massive, mutant cephalopod. Hydras are neat in that, well, they're pond anemone/jellyfish. Watching them move about a watch glass is neat, especially once you put daphnea in with them.

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2005-08-13 02:38am

Shiiiny! Like...a big, glowee, spaceship thing...

Erik von Nein · Post by **Erik von Nein** » 2005-08-13 04:30am

As an aspiring marine biologist I put my Seal of Approval on this topic.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2005-08-13 08:20am

WeemadAndo Pics = CTENOPHORES!!!!!! Comb Jellies!!!!! WE used to have a couple of species on display, they fucking rock. Those are the guys with the cilia that have the color reflecting constantly.

Tasoth= Cindaria is a Phylum, not a family. Includes Stinging Jellies (Comb Jellies are a different phylum), Corals, and Anemones.

Mrs Kendall = What we have posted in the Lab is that you can get severe pain on the affected area, possibly shock, at any rate its enough to warrant an immediate trip to the ER along with providing advance notice of the specific poison.

West Coast Nettles

Blue Jellies a.k.a Brown Blubbers (theres a story to that)

I should get some shots of the Purple Striped Jellies sometime.

Erik von Nein · Post by **Erik von Nein** » 2005-08-13 02:25pm

Absolutely beautiful. I always love going to the Monterey Bay aquirium and looking at their jelly displays. Although, they've got some odd "jelly art" display last I was there.

felineki · Post by **felineki** » 2005-08-13 02:33pm

Temjin wrote:I hate Jellyfish. I know a lot of people consider them beautiful, but they just really fucking creep me out.

They are kinda creepy... Very alien-looking. No brain, no heart... just floating along, waiting to ensnare passers-by. They can be rather visually interesting, though... especially those glowing ones like in the photos posted above.

Tasoth · Post by **Tasoth** » 2005-08-13 05:34pm

Darth Fanboy wrote: Tasoth= Cindaria is a Phylum, not a family. Includes Stinging Jellies (Comb Jellies are a different phylum), Corals, and Anemones.

Thanks. It's been a while since I've had a zoology class. Knew it was something important and held the group of creatures with nematocysts.

Post by **weemadando** » 2005-08-14 06:50pm

Darth Fanboy wrote:WeemadAndo Pics = CTENOPHORES!!!!!! Comb Jellies!!!!! WE used to have a couple of species on display, they fucking rock. Those are the guys with the cilia that have the color reflecting constantly.

I wish I could see them again... I'm trying to get back into shape after my hit of glandular fever last year and earn enough money to buy my own BC and reg set so I can get back into diving. Anyhoo - when I do, be sure that I'll try and get one of the crappy and cheap disposable underwater cameras (only proofed to a few metres, but I've taken them to 20m before without issue), that way I can start posting some stuff here.