Medusa - alien beings

• Medusa - alien beings

A long time ago, even before dinosaurs roamed the earth and the first sharks, these alien beings have inhabited the seas and oceans. They - some of the oldest inhabitants of our planet, living on the Earth is still 500-700 million years ago.

This jellyfish - one of the most exciting, beautiful and mysterious sea creatures.

Jellyfish seem supernatural creatures, alien beings in many ways due to its strange shapes and colors. Nature created them according to their own, some incredible drawings: their body resembles an umbrella, or a bell, sometimes the ball.

His name jellyfish was due to the similarities with stirring hair-legendary snakes of Medusa from Greek mythology.

There are about 2,000 different species of jellyfish. Some live in fresh water, while others are found in the seas and oceans.

As already mentioned, the jellyfish have lived on Earth has 500-700 million years ago. This is a very long time. For example, the first dinosaurs appeared about 225 million years ago, and the most ancient representatives of sharks existed about 420-450 million years ago ...

The structure of the jellyfish too incredible: they consist of about 95% water, 3-4% - of salt and 1-2% - of protein. They have no heart, no eyes, no circulatory system, no gills ...

Cassiopeia jellyfish, living mainly in the Mediterranean.

The majority of the jellyfish is composed of three parts: 1) gelatinous body; 2) tentacle that sting and catch prey; 3) mouth, which absorbs food.

However, jellyfish retain their shape only in the water. Remove the jellyfish from the water - and see for yourself how it is that hour seeks to become a flat drop trembling.

The ancient alien beings feed on plankton, fish eggs, tiny crustaceans. Famous tentacles of jellyfish, with a threadlike structure, luring prey, driving it into his mouth.

Despite the vague senses, jellyfish can smell, odors, distinguish light from darkness.

The newly discovered jellyfish Tiburonia granrojo. The diameter of the dome - to 1 meter.

With special compartments on the sides of its "bells", jellyfish keeps the balance in water. Sail jellyfish help undercurrents. Jellyfish swims against the current self, moving the jet way, pushing the water out of the cavity of his "bell".

Medusa breathes all over, because it has no lungs and gills, as well as any other organ of respiration. The walls of its gelatinous body is very thin, so the oxygen molecules penetrate freely through the gelatinous "skin" just in internal organs. It turns out that jellyfish breathes the whole surface of his body.

Poisonous jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca scintillans.

Jellyfish have a variety of sizes. Their diameter "dome" can range from 3 millimeters, a thimble up to 2.5 meters. The most common are jellyfish size of a saucer.

The biggest jellyfish - the so-called "lion's mane" that lives in the Arctic Sea. Her body reaches 2.5 meters, and the tentacles - 37 meters in length. It is almost half a football field!

Lion's Mane:

They live jellyfish at different depths. some float on the surface, others sink to a depth of 10,000 meters!

Some jellyfish "sting". Along the edges of the "bell" jellyfish tentacles with stinging located (nettle) cells, which can cause burns and paralyze prey. Stinging jellyfish quietly lying in wait for the unwary, and animals that are victims of their venom. Even if you break it up, jelly-like creation in the water into a thousand pieces, it will not save you - jellyfish just turn into a thousand tiny monsters that can sting.

"Stinging" jellyfish can cause harm to humans, but is vital to smaller marine animals - small fish and crabs, which are quietly cling to them from the bottom and thus safely travel to its "host" as the liner.

Aurelia aurita jellyfish or screech of squad semaeostomeae.

The most dangerous for humans is jellyfish sea wasp (Chironex fleckeri), inhabiting near the northern coast of Australia and in the waters of South East Asia. Annually from its poison killed up to 65 people. Lethal outcome occurs within three minutes. This is one of the most poisonous and deadly creatures on earth.

Sea wasp:

Jellyfish - one of the most mysterious and incredibly beautiful inhabitants of the seas and oceans. Meeting with them can be fatal, but despite the "bad" reputation, the majority of the jellyfish are harmless.