The jellyfish is the longest-lived animal on Earth. Its appearance dates back more than 700 million years. Throughout time, biologists and renowned celebrities have been interested in discovering its many singularities. Paying special attention to its origin, danger and morphology. What makes us think that it is one of the most peculiar species of the underwater world.
The oddities of this species become more pronounced as we analyze its morphology Have you ever wondered if jellyfish have brains? It is the only known animal that has survived the evolution of millions of years, without having fundamental organs such as a brain or a heart. They also do not have a central nervous system per se.
Do jellyfish have brains?
How do jellyfish think?
You may ask: how do jellyfish think if they don't have brains ?
Jellyfish have a network of nerves located in the epidermis, which facilitates the detection of other organisms. The moment they feel and/or perceive a touch, this stimulus is transmitted throughout the network. In other words, this hierarchical neural network controls each and every one of their movements and decisions.
So that you can quickly visualize the concept: this neural network is actually a subdivision by zones or sections - like a pie or a pizza. Each of its tentacles is connected to one of those outer slices. And when they detect food, they catch it and the neurons in that zone are activated, sending messages to the inner section, which is where the mouth is located.
Although jellyfish have no brain, they are very intelligent. Thanks to their adaptive abilities, they can overcome any adversity.
Jellyfish and their "superpowers".
Jellyfish sting occurs in milliseconds
That's right, the jellyfish doesn't want to sting you, but it has the ability to do so in milliseconds.
Living waters sting, but do not attack. They are passive beings that roam open and coastal waters, with no intention to prey. Their tentacles are made up of thousands of stinging cells (nematocysts) that, upon contact with a foreign body, release a toxic venom.
The stinging cells of a jellyfish are called cnidoblasts or cnidocytes and are a unique feature of jellyfish and their relatives, such as corals and sea anemones. Inside these cells is an organelle called a nematocyst, which contains a capsule-like capsule with coiled harponocytes.
Jellyfish sting can break a crustacean's shell
When the sting occurs, hundreds of these nematocysts shoot out. That release of pressure results in super-fast punctures that last only 700 nanoseconds and are strong enough to break a crustacean shell at its weakest point.
The degree of danger of a jellyfish sting depends on the species. If you want more information, we encourage you to consult the most poisonous types of jellyfish in the Mediterranean.
Jellyfish are dangerous even when dead
This ability of jellyfish to sting lasts even when they are dead. More and more often, they arrive on shore dying and die there. But this does not mean that they are no longer a danger. Their defense systems are still active. Even if the filaments have broken and separated from the umbrella.
For this reason, the placement of nets to protect swimmers a hundred meters away from the beach is not the solution to avoid themassive arrival of these marine animals . These same nets fracture the jellyfish and the tentacles (practically invisible) reach the shore loaded with poison.
How to treat a jellyfish sting may no longer be a concern for you.
Did you know that you can avoid jellyfish stings?
Our sunscreens also act as an anti jellyfish cream. It protects the skin in contact with jellyfish and prevents their sting. Please note that Safe Sea is not a jellyfish repellent.
The ingredients in a repellent keep the insects or animals in question away from our skin. Humans generally attract insects, ticks and other arthropods by the simple act of emanating heat and sweat. Perfumes and creams also help attract the attention of these animals.
To prevent these animals from remaining on our skin long enough to give the "peck", the repellent forms a barrier on the surface of our dermis. This is achieved thanks to specific active ingredients, such as DEET (N,N-Diethyl-m-toluamide), a chemical compound that confuses animal receptors and interferes with their perception of environmental odors.
The result is a kind of disorientation, as they do not know exactly where to bite. The duration of this protection varies according to the concentration of DEET used in the repellent formula.
If we are not a jellyfish repellent: how can we classify our product? Safe Sea is an inhibitor. It contains in its formula exclusive and patented ingredients, which block the sensory cells of the tentacles, just at the moment when the burning/stinging process is activated. In other words, jellyfish do come into contact with our skin, but they do not detect us as an intimidation or prey.
We must keep in mind that the venom released during contact with live water is nothing more than a natural defense mechanism for the animal, which is only activated whenever it feels threatened. Therefore, if there is no identification of threat, the sting does not occur.
Now that you know if jellyfish have brains and their super powers, you may be interested in learning more about our anti jellyfish sunscreens. Visit our store and find out more.
