The Universe and Me

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Do we need 'em? : Jellyfish

Another of Mr Pilkington’s annoyances (because he stepped on one on holiday) is jellyfish. Since they are at least 95% water, Karl feels they should just give up the remaining 5% and become pure water. There are around three thousand kinds of jellyfish, some small as a pea and others big as a barrel. They only live about a year, have no brain, no head, no skeleton, no scales, no heart. Many have no eyes. Resembling a bell or parachute or open umbrella (take your pick), they are basically a floating bag of gelatin that absorbs oxygen from the water. They eat fish, shrimp, crabs, worms, plankton, plants and other jellyfish. To move, they squirt water out of their mouths. Their tentacles resemble cooked noodles, and can be up to a hundred feet long, but have stingers that poison other fish and hurt like the dickens when you step on them, so it sure seems like we don’t need them. The few fish and turtles that feed on them could likely find easier food sources. Jellyfish fans and connoisseurs (apparently when marinated, they can be quite tasty) are free to disagree.

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