It is no secret that each group of vertebrates (type, class, family, genus) has its own record holders for one or another achievement. Invertebrates keep up with them, because among them there are also those who can be envied! One of these creatures is the giant cyanea jellyfish.
Giant in the sea
Hairy cyanea is the largest jellyfish in the world. This is a real giant of the seas and oceans. Its full name is Cuanea arctica, which translated from Latin sounds like "jellyfish. This beautifully glowing pink-purple creature can be found in the high latitudes of the northern jellyfish, which is common in all northern seas flowing into the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. You can see it directly near coasts, in the upper layers of water Researchers studying hairy cyania, initially looked for it in the Azov and Black Seas, but never found it.
Cyaneus jellyfish. Impressive size
According to the latest oceanographic studies, which are cited by members of the expedition of the so-called Cousteau team, the diameter of the gelatinous "body" (or dome) of cyanea can reach 2.5 m. But that's it! The pride of the hairy arctic jellyfish is its tentacles. The length of these processes ranges from 26 to 42 m! Scientists have come to the conclusion that the size of these jellyfish entirely depends on the conditions of their habitation. According to statistics, it is the individuals that inhabit the coldest ocean waters that are of enormous size.
External structure
The hairy cyanea jellyfish has a fairly varied body color. It is dominated by brown, purple and red tones. When the jellyfish becomes an adult, its dome (“body”) from above begins to turn distinctly yellow, and its edges turn red. The tentacles located along the edges of the dome are purple-pink, and the mouth lobes are red-crimson. It is because of the long tentacles that cyanea was nicknamed the hairy (or hairy) jellyfish. The dome, or bell, of the arctic cyanea itself has a hemispherical structure. Its edges smoothly merge into 16 blades, which, in turn, are separated from each other by specific cutouts.
Lifestyle
These creatures spend the lion's share of their numerous time in the so-called free swimming - they soar on the surfaces of sea waters, periodically contracting their gelatinous dome and flapping their extreme blades. Hairy cyanea is a very active predator. It feeds on plankton floating in the surface layers of water, crustaceans and small fish. In especially "hungry years", when there is literally nothing to eat, cyanea can starve for a long time. But in some cases, these creatures become cannibals, devouring their own kind.
Members of the Cousteau team describe in their research the way the jellyfish hunts. Hairy cyanea rises to the surface of the water, spreading its long tentacles in different directions. She is waiting for her victim. The researchers noticed that in this state, cyanea is very much reminiscent of. As soon as the victim swims closer to such "algae" and touch them, the jellyfish immediately wraps them around the prey, releasing it with the help of the so-called poison that can paralyze. As soon as the prey ceases to show signs of life, the jellyfish eats it. The poison of this gelatinous giant is strong enough and is produced along the entire length of the tentacles.
Reproduction
This creature reproduces in a very unusual way. The male through the oral cavity throws his spermatozoa into the female's mouth. In fact, that's all. It is in the mouth of a female jellyfish that embryos form. When the "kids" grow up, they will come out in the form of larvae. These larvae, in turn, will attach to the substrate, becoming a single polyp. After a few months, the grown polyp will begin to multiply, after which the larvae of future jellyfish will appear.
Until now, the largest caught Arctic cyanea, officially registered in documents, is a creature that was thrown out in 1870 on the coast of a gulf in the American.The diameter of the dome of this giant was 2.3 m, and the length of the tentacles was 36.5 m. It is known about the existence of specimens with a gelatinous body diameter of up to 2.5 m and a tentacle length of 42 m. Such jellyfish were recorded using a scientific underwater bathyscaphe within the framework of oceanographic expeditions, but no one has managed to catch at least one such individual so far.
Cyanea jellyfish is known among divers for its painful burns. Officially, the world's largest jellyfish is considered dangerous to humans. But in fact, only one death was recorded. As a rule, such a burn leaves local redness on the skin of a person, which disappears over time. Sometimes rashes appear on the body, accompanied by painful sensations. And all because the giant's venom contains toxins that can cause an allergic reaction. However, if you are stung by a giant cyane jellyfish, it is recommended that you see your doctor.
A similar photo is often found on the network and the caption under it says that in front of you is the largest jellyfish in the world. The jellyfish is called arctic cyanea (cyanea hairy or lion's mane), and its tentacles can be up to 37 meters long. In general, this deep monster looks really frightening, but is it really that huge? This post will help us figure it out.
In general, the title photo from the series is something like this:
So what's really in the photo? You might be surprised, but the photo shows a real arctic cyanea. And she really is the largest jellyfish in the world. True, the diameter of the dome reaches a maximum of 2 meters and it looks something like this:
The largest jellyfish reached 36.5 meters, and the diameter of the "cap" was 2.3 meters.
There is a difference, isn't there?
Let's find out a little more about this jellyfish.
Cyanos is translated from Latin as blue, and capillus - hair or capillary, i.e. literally a blue-haired jellyfish. This is a representative of the scyphoid jellyfish of the discomedusa order. Cyanea comes in several forms. Their number is a matter of dispute between scientists, however, at present, two more varieties of it are distinguished - blue (or blue) cyanea (suapea lamarckii) and Japanese cyanea (suapea capillata nozakii). These relatives of the giant "lion's mane" are much smaller than it.
Cyanea giant is an inhabitant of cold and moderately cold waters. It is also found off the coast of Australia, but it is most abundant in the northern seas of the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, as well as in the open waters of the Arctic seas. It is here, in the northern latitudes, that it reaches a record size. In warm seas, cyanea does not take root, and if it penetrates into milder climatic zones, it does not grow more than half a meter in diameter.
In 1865, a huge jellyfish was thrown onto the shore of Massachusetts Bay (North Atlantic coast of the United States), the diameter of the dome of which was 2.29 meters, and the length of the tentacles reached 37 meters. This is the largest of the individuals of cyanea giant, the measurement of which has been documented.
The body of cyanea has a varied color, with a predominance of red and brown tones. In adult specimens, the upper part of the dome is yellowish, and its margins are red. The oral lobes are crimson-red, the marginal tentacles are light, pink and purple. Juveniles are much brighter.
Cyanians have many extremely sticky tentacles. They are all grouped into 8 groups. Each group contains 65-150 tentacles inside, arranged in a row. The dome of the jellyfish is also divided into 8 parts, giving it the appearance of an eight-pointed star.
There are both male and female jellyfish Cyanea capillata. During fertilization, cyanea males expel mature spermatozoa through their mouths into the water, from where they enter the brood chambers located in the oral lobes of the females, where eggs are fertilized and developed. Then the planula larvae leave the brood chambers and swim in the water column for several days.
Having attached to the substrate, the larva transforms into a single polyp - scyphistoma, which actively feeds, increases in size and can reproduce asexually, budding off daughter scyphists from itself.
In the spring, the process of transverse division of the scyphistoma begins - strobilation and the larvae of the ether jellyfish are formed. They look like transparent stars with eight rays, they do not have marginal tentacles and mouth lobes. Ethers break away from the scyphistoma and float away, and by the middle of summer they gradually turn into jellyfish.
Most of the time, cyanea hover in the near-surface layer of water, periodically contracting the canopy and flapping their marginal blades. At the same time, the tentacles of jellyfish are straightened and extended to their full length, forming a dense trapping net under the dome. Cyanea are predators. Long, numerous tentacles are densely covered with stinging cells. When they are shot, a strong poison penetrates the victim's body, killing small animals and causing significant damage to larger ones. Cyanogen prey - various planktonic organisms, including other jellyfish, sometimes small fish that stick to the tentacles are caught.
Arctic cyanea, although it is poisonous to humans, but its poison does not have such a force to lead to death, although there is one case of death from the poison of this jellyfish in the world. It can cause an allergic reaction and a possible skin rash. And in the place where the tentacles of the jellyfish touch the skin, a person can get a burn and, subsequently, redness of the skin, which eventually disappears.
- Type of: Cnidaria (Coelenterata) Hatschek, 1888 = Intestinal, creeping
- Subtype: Medusozoa = Medusozoa
- Class: Scyphozoa Götte, 1887 = Scyphoid
- Order: Semaeostomeae = Discomedusa
- Genus: Cyanea = Arctic Cyanea
- Species: Cyanea capillata (Linnaeus, 1758) = Hairy cyanea (giant arctic jellyfish; lion's mane jellyfish)
Hairy or arctic cyanea (Cyanea capillata, synonym - C. arctica) is a scyphoid species from the order of discomedusas, in which the jellyfish stage reaches very large sizes. Arctic cyanea is the largest jellyfish in the World Ocean. In large specimens, which are not very common, the dome diameter can reach 2 m, while the tentacles of such unique specimens are able to stretch up to 20 m.The largest jellyfish had tentacles 36.5 meters long, with an umbrella diameter of almost 2.3 meters ... But usually most cyanea grow no more than 50-60 cm.This species has another very interesting name: Medusa lion's mane
Hairy cyanea has an extensive range: it can be found in almost all northern seas of both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. At the same time, cyanea is found only in the surface layers of water, not floating far from the coast. In warmer seas, like the Black and Azov seas, this discomedusa is not found.
The body of arctic cyanea can have a variety of colors, but it is usually dominated by red and brown tones. The upper part of the dome is yellowish in adult specimens, and its margins are usually red. The oral lobes of cyane are crimson-red. The marginal tentacles are usually light, colored pink and purple. Unlike adults, juveniles are much brighter.
The edges of the bell in cyanea, which has a hemispherical shape, are transformed into 16 blades separated by notches from each other. At the same time, at the base of these notches, the marginal corpuscles of ropalia are located, in which such organs of sense as vision (in the form of eyes) and balance are located - their role is played by statocysts. The marginal tentacles are long; they attach to the inner concave side of the dome under the lobes between the ropals. The marginal tentacles are collected in 8 bundles. The mouth opening is located in the center of the lower part of the dome. It is surrounded, hanging down in the form of curtains, by large, folded mouth lobes. The digestive system is quite extensive. Its radial canals extend from the stomach, then enter the oral and marginal lobes of the bell, where they form additional ramifications.
In its life cycle, cyanea has a change of two generations: sexual and asexual. The sexual or medusoid generation leads an active lifestyle and lives in the water column, while individuals of the asexual polypoid generation lead an attached benthic lifestyle.
Jellyfish of the sexual generation cyanea are dioecious. Reproduction takes place as follows. Male cyanea throw mature sperm into the water through their mouths. From here, they penetrate into the brood chambers of females, which are located in the oral lobes, where eggs are fertilized, and then their further development. The mobile planula larvae emerging from the fertilized eggs leave the brood chambers of the female. They float in the water column for several days, and then, having chosen a suitable place, they attach to the substrate. After that, the larva transforms into a single polyp, which is called a scyphistoma. At this stage, the polyp is actively feeding, due to which it increases in size. He, budding off daughter scyphistomas from himself, can thus reproduce asexually. In the spring, the process of strobilation or transverse division of the scyphistoma occurs, as a result of which the active larvae of the ether jellyfish are formed. In appearance, they resemble transparent stars with eight rays. At this stage of development, they have no marginal tentacles and oral lobes. Ethers break away from the maternal scyphistoma and swim away, and by the middle of summer they gradually turn into jellyfish.
Cyanea jellyfish most of the time soar freely in the near-surface layer of ocean water, periodically contracting the dome and flapping the edge blades. At the same time, the numerous tentacles of jellyfish are spread out and extended to their full length. Cyaneans are predators, therefore their long tentacles, densely planted with stinging cells, form a dense trapping net under the dome. When stinging cells are fired into the body of the victim, a strong poison penetrates, as a result of which small aquatic animals die, and significant damage to the body is inflicted on the larger ones. The main prey for cyanians are various planktonic organisms, including other jellyfish.
The arctic cyanea jellyfish is also dangerous to humans, as careless divers can inflict very painful burns with its tentacles. Basically, a burn leaves only local redness on the body of a stung person, which disappears over time, but one death was also recorded ...
Arctic cyanea is the largest jellyfish in the world. This is a very interesting and mysterious creature that lives in very harsh conditions, giving preference to the cold waters of the Arctic and with the help of this article we will try to get to know her better.
External description
The jellyfish dome reaches an average of 50-70 centimeters in diameter, but specimens up to 2-2.5 meters are often found.
Such an inhabitant of the oceans can even be called a giant. It is not without reason that the stories of writers (for example, Arthur Conan Doyle's "Lion's Mane") are very popular, in which the Arctic cyanea is mentioned. Its size, however, depends entirely on the habitat. Moreover, the farther north she lives, the larger she becomes.
Also, arctic cyanea has numerous tentacles that are located along the edges of the dome. Depending on the size of the jellyfish, they can reach 20 to 40 meters in length. It is thanks to them that this sea creature has a second name - hairy jellyfish.
Its color is striking in its diversity, and young arctic cyanea have bright colors. With age, they become duller in shades. Commonly found jellyfish are dirty orange, purple and brown.
Habitat
Arctic cyanea lives in the waters of the Arctic and Pacific oceans, where it lives practically anywhere. The only exceptions are the Azov and Black Seas.
Jellyfish lifestyle
Arctic cyanea, a photo of which, in addition to our article, can be found in various literature, is a rather active predator. Its diet includes plankton, crustaceans and small fish. If, due to a lack of food, Arctic cyanea begins to starve, it can switch to its congeners, both its own species and other jellyfish.
The hunt takes place in the following way: it rises to the surface of the water, directs the tentacles in different directions and waits. In this state, jellyfish are similar to algae. As soon as its victim, swimming past, touches the tentacles, the Arctic cyanea immediately wraps around the entire body of its prey and releases poison that can paralyze. After the victim stops moving, she eats it. Paralyzing poison is produced in the tentacles, and along their entire length.
In turn, Arctic cyanea can also become a lunch for other jellyfish, seabirds, turtles and it is worth noting that even the largest specimens are not particularly dangerous to humans. In the worst case, a rash appears in the places of contact with this inhabitant of the oceans, which immediately disappears after the use of antiallergic drugs. Typically, this reaction occurs in a person with sensitive skin, and some people sometimes may not even notice anything.
Breeding arctic cyanea
This process is very interesting: the male throws out spermatozoa through his mouth, and they, in turn, enter the female's mouth. This is where the formation of embryos takes place. After they grow up, they come out in the form of larvae, which attach to the substrate and turn into a single polyp. After several months of active growth, it begins to multiply, due to which the larvae of future jellyfish appear.
1st place.
Hairy cyanea , she is Arctic cyanea. Inhabits cold waters. It is thanks to this circumstance that it can grow to gigantic proportions. The largest specimen of this jellyfish was caught almost two centuries ago. The dome was 2.3 meters in diameter and the tentacles were 37 meters long. Large jellyfish are purple, while smaller ones are beige or orange. Why do they grow to this size? Because, drifting in cold waters, their puberty occurs much later than that of jellyfish living in southern latitudes.
2nd place.
Giant jellyfish Bell of Nomura , she is "Lion's Mane". In diameter, the dome can reach two meters, and the resemblance to a lion has contributed to the fact that this jellyfish has another name. Favorite habitat - the Far East, the coastal zone of China, Japan and Korea. Causes damage to anglers by falling into their nets, from which it is very difficult to extract the jellyfish. Leaves a burn on the human body.
3rd place. 
Cornerot. Very large jellyfish. Sometimes, the diameter of their domes reaches two meters, but such an anomaly is extremely rare. They differ from other jellyfish by the complete absence of tentacles. Instead, nature has awarded the cornerot with mouth blades with processes.
4th place. 
Ropilem. Reaches a diameter of one and a half meters. Usually, it lives in the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea, but has a tendency to migrate. Most recently, it was seen in the coastal zone of the Primorsky Territory. The optimal size is half a meter in diameter.
5th place. 
Sea nettle. The diameter of the umbrella can reach one meter, and the length of the tentacles is six meters. Causes severe burns on the body and can lead to complete cardiac arrest. Very often, due to a burn, a person has heart failure. This jellyfish lives exclusively in tropical seas.
6th place. 
Purple striped jellyfish ... Very beautiful and very dangerous. Distributed in Monterrey Bay. Has stripes on the umbrella. It is she who delivers a lot of inconvenience to all those who had the imprudence to meet with her. The diameter of her umbrella reaches 0.7 m, and according to the stories of sailors, this is not a limiting value.
7th place. 
Sea wasp ... This is not only a fairly large jellyfish (the diameter can reach half a meter, and the length of the tentacles is five meters.), But also a very poisonous animal. When a large area of the skin of a person is affected by the poison, he dies. That is, getting off with a simple burn will not work. Paralysis of the heart muscle sets in, and the person dies within a few minutes.
8th place. 
Portuguese boat. Outwardly, it really looks like a sailboat. It has a relatively small umbrella size, from 20 cm and more. Its dimensions cannot exceed half a meter. But the tentacles can be up to 10 m long. It lives in the tropical waters of the Atlantic, in southern Japan and Hawaii. The poison is not deadly for humans, but it can cause burns and short-term loss of consciousness.
9th place. 
Medusa jellyfish ... The diameter of its umbrella can reach 35 cm. An incredibly beautiful and not quite ordinary jellyfish. The fact is that she does not drift on the waves, but can swim on her own. It can be seen on the Adriatic, in the Aegean Sea and, of course, in the Mediterranean.
10th place. 
Long-eared aurelia. Inhabits all warm seas. The diameter of the umbrella can reach 0.4 m.For example, on the Black Sea, before the season of autumn storms, Aurelia begin to take care of their offspring: small lumps of jellyfish tissue settle on the seabed, and in the spring, a small disc separates from them, which over the summer turns into an adult.
Loading...
