Transcript Creature Feature Box Jellies

Creature Feature
Box Jellies
Box Jellies
• Phylum Cnidaria; Class Cubozoa (box
jellies)
• Best known for their extremely
powerful venom
• Highest risk period for the box jellyfish
is between October to May
• Abundant in the warm waters of northern Australia and
Indo-Pacific
• Global warming is allowing them to inhabit new areas!
Sea Wasp (Chironex fleckeri)
• Tentacles are covered in a high
density of nematocysts
• Sting causes excruciating pain and
can kill in as little as 3 minutes
• Amount of venom in one animal is
enough to kill 60 adult humans
• Is believed to be the most
venomous creature in the world
• Live on a diet of prawns and small fish
• Preyed on by turtles, which are the only creatures
known to be immune to their stings
Irukandji Jellyfish (Carukia barnesi)
• 2.5 cm (with bell and tentacles) in
diameter
• Sting causes symptoms which are
collectively known as "Irukandji
syndrome“
• Initial sting is typically mild
• Followed, minutes to hours later, by:
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Vomiting
Profuse sweating
Headache and agitation
Rapid heart rate and very high blood pressure
Lionfish
(Pterois volitans)
• Range in size from
6-12 inches
• Ambush predators
• Are primarily
associated with coral
reefs
• Venomous dorsal spines are used for defense
• Stings can last for days and cause extreme
pain, sweating, and respiratory distress
• Widely used in the aquarium trade
• 2000 -2003, 49 lionfish sightings were
reported at 16 different shipwrecks and
natural hard bottom locations.
• Summer 2004 NOAA
scientists collected 155
lionfish at 19 different
locations off the North
Carolina coast alone.
• Indicates that the
lionfish is reproducing in
the Atlantic Ocean
Invasive?
• Released from broken
aquariums during hurricane Andrew in 1992
• Released as unwanted pets
– Grew too large for tank
– Ate other fish in tank
• The Gulf Stream likely transported
buoyant lionfish eggs and larvae from
Florida northward
Problems
• They were not likely to survive long in
the colder waters
• Predators and competitors present in
the marine community in the Atlantic
are very different from the native
range of the lionfish.
– May outcompete native
species (ex. Grouper and
Snapper)
Gulper Eel (Eurypharynx pelecanoides)
Saccopharyngiformes
• Order of unusual rayfinned fishes
• Lack several bones,
and have no scales,
pelvic fins, or swim
bladder
• 3-6 feet in length
• Found in all tropical and subtropical seas at depths
ranging from 900 to 8,000 m (3,000 to 26,200 ft)
• Lateral line is raised – increases sensitivity
• Due to its specialized body shape, they are
poor swimmers
• Relies on the luminescent organ at the tip of
its tail to attract prey
– Consists of numerous tentacles, which
– Glows pink and gives off occasional bright red
flashes
– Lunges and snaps up prey
• Mouth is loosely-hinged
• Stomach can stretch and expand to accommodate
large meals
• Typically eats fish, copepods, shrimp, and plankton
Saltwater Crocodile
(Crocodylus porosus)
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Reptile
70 year lifespan
Average 1,000 lbs
Average 13-17 ft in length
Population estimates
range from 200,000 to
300,000 worldwide
• Protected species in
Australia
• Cruise at 2 to 3 mph
• Swim 15 to 18 miles per hour in short bursts
• Spend the tropical wet season in freshwater
swamps and rivers
• Move downstream to estuaries in the dry season
• Sometimes traveling far out to sea
• Opportunistic apex predator
• Eat pretty much ANYTHING
they want!!
• Prefer to bask during
the day
• Hunt at night/dusk
Attacks by Crocs!
• Keep croc areas well posted
• Most attacks are fatal
• Usually only one or two
attacks
• Most unreported attacks
most likely occur in New
Guinea
Salties vs. Freshies
Saltwater Croc
American Alligator
Australian Freshwater Crocodile