The new ocean predator: Jellyfish?

[n2doc]

As sharks and tuna are fished out, jellyfish take over.
By Drew FitzGerald (Boston University) Student Correspondent Corps
Published: November 29, 2009 10:50 ET


BOSTON — Of all the oceans' predators, jellyfish have the least ... of everything: With no teeth, fins or brains, they catch only whatever unlucky animals drift into their path.

But to the animals they hunt, jellyfish and the many related species of comb jellies are a menace. Ranging from several feet long to nearly microscopic, their venom often kill creatures hundreds of times their size, including, in rare cases, humans.

As scientists study jellyfish more closely, a new creature is emerging: More than just a nuisance, jellyfish are viewed as barometers of ocean health and possibly a powerful force affecting seawater itself.

Scientists remain cloudy about the role of jellyfish in the ocean ecosystem, but the creatures are undeniably hardy. Unlike sharks, orcas and other aggressive carnivores, jellyfish thrive in ecosystems damaged by human activity.

From the Gulf of Mexico to the Sea of Japan, oceanographers have found a common symptom among places where overfishing, chemical pollution and rising sea temperatures have killed off other species: more jellyfish.

"There are suggestions that the whole oceans are turning to jellyfish," said Larry Madin, the director of research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/study-abroad/091022/the-new-ocean-predator-jellyfish?page=0,0

[phantom power]

1. The least of everything... except nematocysts.

And jelly!

[Systematic Chaos]

4. Watch 'em wiggle.

See 'em jiggle.
Nervous system?
Kiss it -- good bye.

Of all ocean things,
you love the one
that leaves your beaches
overrun

So stick a fork in it, and...
call it DONE.



Brought to you by the fine purveyors of dead animal hides and bones over at Jell-O.

I'm disabled, but even if I weren't, don't worry... I wouldn't quit my day job. :P

[Systematic Chaos]

2. It's a shame Canfield oceans can't hold a candle to Tiger Woods' sex appeal.

:shrug:

[ensho]

3. true and a rise in mucus blobs and poison algae

and a decline in eatable sea food.

[wtmusic]

5. Beware the Irukandji

"Irukandji syndrome is produced by a very small amount of venom and includes severe pains at various parts of the body (typically excruciating muscle cramps in the arms and legs, severe pain in the back and kidneys, a burning sensation of the skin and face), headaches, nausea, restlessness, sweating, vomiting, high heart rate and blood pressure, and psychological phenomena (such as the feeling of impending death)."



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irukandji_jellyfish

[Bobbieo]

6. Make them useful and watch them disappear!!!

[Bitwit1234]

7. Their sting hurts like the devil and last forever.

[wtmusic]

8. Evolution - it's deja vu all over again. nt

[pscot]

9. But the hominidae

may be selected out of the new world order.

[live love laugh]

10. Guess we'll have to learn to eat jellyfish. Yum. [not] nt