Jellyfish Bio 101: Local Identification, Local Research

When approaching the final few semesters of college, I began to lament the fact that I didn't have that typical group of "College Buddies" like those so important to the plot lines in a generic comedic movie. Very few of my family members actually went to college, so I knew people with "High School Buddies" and still have several of those myself - but the feeling that I had missed out on some beautiful part of the college experience was looming in the rafters.

Then, I seized the opportunity to live, eat, and breathe marine science at one of the most ground breaking facilities in the world with a group of 9 other similarly minded individuals as part of the Semester by the Sea program at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. While I could easily blog for a year about the adventures and experiences had during that pivotal time in my education (and when I find those photos I will do just that!), I would like to focus on one specific colleage, Evan Orellana. We learned to surf together, although he pursued it with passion and I plateaued quickly, and I consider him a life-long "college buddy" for sure.

Evan, without the promises of post-graduate bliss, also championed his own research on one of the local invasive species - the Tripedalia cystophora species of box jellyfish.  The box jellyfish is famous for A) having an extremely painful sting and B) being found in Australia.  There are actually several different species in the Cubozoa family, and 3... well, now 4 are found here in south Florida.

This newest invader is only one of several species of box jellies

So, today is a quick lesson on jellyfish.  This post will cover many species found here in south Florida but also provide information on the jellyfish life cycle, and perhaps more interestingly how they sting.  Yes, there will also be notes on what to do when stung by various types of jellies ranging from sea lice to the Portuguese man o' war.  The photos included in this segment come straight from the scientist buddy mentioned before, Evan Orellana, from his exceptional presention that he has already given at a variety of venues.  We have deemed him "the Jelly Man" as a tribute from the awesome title given to Marlin in Finding Nemo after he cleared a serious jellyfish bloom.

Jellyfish Biology 101: 

Disclaimer - These facts are the basics and a generalization of jellyfish species.  This will help you understand what you see in the water and on the beach. While well researched and accurate, I do not recommend this as a short cut for writing your own biology paper. If you are a biology major or want to know the real details about Evan's research, additional information about the paper can be found at the end of the blog post. Now that portion is something you can reference with your research papers, but please be sure to give credit where it is due and not refer to this blog as the original publication. To see his abstract jump to http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8310371&fulltextType=RA&fileId=S1755267211000133

On to the fun!
The jellyfish is not actually a fish. These invertebrates are generally characterized by a dome shaped "bell" and tentacles bearing stinging nematocyst. They are an ancient species with evidence in the fossil record dating back to the Cambrian era (570-505 million years ago).  The "medusa" is a stage in the jellyfish life cycle, and the first image brought to mind when you think "jellyfish".

Jellies use both asexual and sexual reproduction - smart move for an animal with no brain.

To put the above diagram in basic terms, jellyfish start out as polyps, very similar to corals.  They "bud" off into a floating form that eventually grows into the medusa we all recognize. The second reproductive stage yields planktonic planula that settle on a substrate (ideally a sold location like a rock) and then grow into a polyp. Cool, huh? Way simpler than that frog life cycle you had to learn back in high school bio.

The infamous stinging portion of a jellyfish is called the "nematocyst" and is located on the tentacles. These are used for capturing prey like tiny fish. Since jellyfish are so delicate, paralyzing their food is essential to avoid being torn up while trying to eat dinner.  The above diagram shows the stinging cells coiled up inside the nematocyst. When triggered, usually by contact, the nematocyst fires and shoots the thread out where it attaches to the victim.

This view of a tentacle up close shows thousands of tiny dots crammed into the larger casing. Think of it as yarn when bound up tightly, making it nice and compact while allowing for easy access.

The second close-up hones in on individual nematocysts, and the coiled up threads are still very active and waiting to fire.  This is why finding a jellyfish on the beach, live or dead, can be able to sting! Those cells are still under tension and will fire upon contact.

HINT: Don't pick up a jellyfish when it washes ashore just to show your friends or family. Walk them over to where you found it and just point. Plus, now they will know what to avoid while on a nice beach walk.




So, what does one do when stung? Going back to basic chemistry, think of how acids and bases can neutralize each other.  To offset the burning from a jellyfish sting, here are the most common treatments and why they work (or maybe don't):
1. Ammonia is weak base (11.6 on the pH scale), and it is also what gives cat urine that oh-so identifiable stench. Many are told to pee on a jellyfish sting, but this is not usually very affective.
2. Vinegar is a very strong acetic acid, so it doesn't burn skin. With a pH of around 2.4, vinegar is acidic enough to neutralize the jellyfish venom. Yay! And it still smells better than pee. I have learned from personal experience that the type of vinegar doesn't seem to matter; this includes using the vinegar condiments right off the table at a BBQ place in the keys - still worked!
3. Perhaps the WORST thing you can do is douse the sting in COLD FRESHwater. This causes any nematocysts still on the skin to fire like crazy. Saltwater will not make the stingers release, but this also does not help with the pain if you have already been stung. HOT or very warm freshwater does do the trick. When snorkeling virtually everyday, we would place a large jug of tap water on the beach; by the time we exited the water, it was nice and toasty.  Rinsing off with this water relieved my husband's jellyfish stings (usually man o' war, sea lice, or moon jelly) but prevented any outbreaks from sea lice when washing off at the cold freshwater stations near the bathrooms.
NOTE: Individuals may react quite differently to jellyfish stings depending on the severity and quantity. Serious allergic reactions may occur.  Tell-tale signs include tightness of chest and/or shortness of breath. In this case, call 9-1-1. Simple topical treatment of the whelps will not be enough.  If there is swelling and pain, but no trouble breathing, just calm down.  Boat captains/dive masters and lifeguards deal with this everyday and should be perfectly capable of helping.

Years ago, a friend in the Florida Keys had a very sweet mutt that she would take to the beach.  One such visit resulted in her poor little dog getting wrapped up in a Portuguese man-o-war and the tentacles became very tangled in its fur. She rushed her dog to the vet where they gave steroid shots and diphenhydramine (benadryl/major ingredient in anti-allergy meds and tylenol pm as a sleep aid).  After waking that evening, the dog started shrieking and her owner repeated the process. At work the following day she was in tears and at a loss on what to do. "Give her a vinegar bath, just use the cheap stuff", I advised. Sure enough, she returned home and quickly had a very happy and pain free dog (although the smell of wet dog and salad dressing seems like olfactory overload to me).
Jellyfish are amazing and found world wide. They are microscopic but also over 20 feet long, can be found in the deep ocean with striking bioluminescence and even reside in freshwater coves.  It would be easy to spend a career striving to understand and appreciate the diversity of these animals, but this snap shot of identifications will at least help improve your beach walk and snorkeling on the east coast of Florida.
True jellies are Cnidarians (phylum). Locally some of the most common species are pictured below. Just check out the caption for identification:

Upside down jellyfish (discussed further in the 7/12 blog posting)

The Moon Jelly is extremely common and quite beautiful in the water.



Moon Jellyfish often wash ashore and can still sting despite the short tentacles

True Jellyfish are Scyphozoans

The thimble jellyfish is more commonly known as "sea lice"

Sea lice is actually the thimble jellyfish. This true jelly is very common in our waters, and it is the smaller medusa stage in the life cycle (see diagram noted earlier) before the animal reaches sexual maturity that has the uncanny ability to sting all along the edges of one's swimsuit. The thimble jelly is one of the 4 different species of box jellyfish found in Florida waters now. Just look at the box-like shape of its body to figure why it is considered a Cubozoan.
A "true" jelly is defined by how it buds off from the polyp.  While in this phase of reproduction, true jellyfish are stacked on top of each other like miniature stinging pancakes and the animal at the top of the stack is released in succession.

The fabulous and colorful comb jelly has no stinging nematocysts. They are Ctenophores, not Cnidarians

Also not "true" jellies, these species are generally harmless to humans. Their stinging cells are usually not strong enough to break through the skin... Man-o-War EXCLUDED of course.

When on the beach, check out the conditions board before crossing the dune. If jellies have been washing ashore in significant quantities, a warning should be posted. Also look at the lifeguard tower's flags - PURPLE flag = jellyfish sighted that day in the area.  While walking along, particularly after a night of rough seas, there will probably be all sorts of cool things washed up with the sea weed.  Sometimes large wads of "sea snot" might be mistaken for a jellyfish. When in doubt, don't pick it up; but if you still are willing to take the risk, the ball of clear gelatinous goo that has no tentacles, striations or body structure is actually the feeding sack of a tube worm. These little critters create sticky snot-like balloons to catch bits of plankton and algae for the worm to eat without having to leave the safety of its hole. These balloons get tattered and break away, or the worm might just release them as a quick clean up when the in-laws are coming to visit unannounced. They have no nematocysts and cannot harm humans... unless you tried to eat one, but then maybe that person should get nauseated. This last bit of information is speculation. NO WAY am I gonna test that theory and neither should your toddler.

Not all creatures are susceptible to the jelly's sting. Sea turtles, for instance, are one of many ocean dwellers that use jellyfish as a major food source. While all species of sea turtle will eat jellies, they are the primary food source for the leatherback in particular. So the largest of all marine turtles, often weighing up to 1,000 lbs, survives solely on an animal that mostly water (95-98% depending on the resource)!

Another term commonly attached to the jellyfish, particularly in the media, is the "bloom".  Many different species of jellyfish are known to suddenly aggregate in abnormally high densities. This can be caused by removing the major predators in an area (leatherback turtles, for instance, are critically endangered) but also by environmental changes such as nutrient run off from the land into the sea, or by significant climate changes. Higher ocean temperatures have also been correlated to large jellyfish blooms in areas like the Gulf of Mexico.



Okay, the following is the abstract to Evan Orellana's actual published work. The topic of invasive species are finally gaining some general public interest, but the realization that exotics often end up in the wrong ecosystem without having been introduced as a pet (i.e. pythons in the Everglades) has not quite set in.  Marine exotics are a particular problem because all life on earth needs water, and when the balance of health is compromised starting with the water resources for an environment, serious problems may take hold quickly and be extremely difficult to control.  Prior to Orellana's findings, only 3 species of Cubozoans (box jellyfish) were found in south Florida; the addtion of a 4th is significant.  Even now this species is being spotted further north in Florida, so his research continues and we will follow his work closely.  (I did have some formatting issues while transferring the pdf into this post. While all of the information is verbatim, I might have missed some italicizes here and there. My apologies) Enjoy!

First report of the box jellyfish  Tripedalia cystophora (Cubozoa: Tripedaliidae) in the continental USA, from Lake Wyman, Boca Raton, Florida

  

Evan R. Orellana and Allen G. Collins (2011).

Marine'>http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=MBD">Marine Biodiversity Records, http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=MBD&volumeId=4&bVolume=y#loc4>
 ">Volume 4,
December 2011 e54

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?aid=8310371

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?aid=8310371">http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?aid=8310371

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Marine Biodiversity Records, page 1 of 3. # Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2011  doi:10.1017/S1755267211000133; Vol. 4; e54; 2011 Published online
First report of the box jellyfish Tripedalia cystophora (Cubozoa: Tripedaliidae) in the continental USA, from Lake Wyman, Boca Raton, Florida

EVAN R. ORELLANA AND ALLEN G. COLLINS

Gumbo Limbo Nature Centre, 1801 North Ocean Boulevard, Boca Raton, FL 33432, USA, 2NMFS, National Systematics Laboratory, National Museum of Natural History, MRC-153, Smithsonian Institution, PO Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA

ABSTRACT
A male specimen of Tripedalia cystophora (Cubozoa: Tripedaliidae) was collected from Lake Wyman, Boca Raton, Florida, USA. This is the first report of this species from the continental United States and brings the total known number of cubozoan species living in this region to four. Lake Wyman is a natural lagoon/estuary ecosystem which is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The box jellyfish was found in shallow water around the roots of the red mangrove, Rhizophora mangle, where it was observed feeding on copepods attracted to light. This finding may indicate a local population in the waters of south Florida, USA, but an isolated occurrence cannot be ruled out.
Keywords: Cubomedusae
Submitted 5 May 2010; accepted 21 January 2011

A.

REFERENCES
Bentlage B., Cartwright P., Yanagihara A.A., Lewis C., Richards G.S. and Collins A.G. (2010) Evolution of box jellyfish (Cnidaria: Cubozoa), a group of highly toxic invertebrates. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 277, 493–501.
Calder D.R. (2009) Cubozoan and scyphozoan jellyfishes of the Carolinian biogeographic province, southeastern USA. Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Coates M.M. (2003) Visual ecology and functional morphology of Cubozoa (Cnidaria). Integrative and Comparative Biology 43, 542–548.
Collins A.G., Bentlage B., Gillan W., Lynn T.H., Morandini A.C. and Marques A.C. (2011) Naming the Bonaire banded box jelly, Tamoya ohboy, n. sp. (Cnidaria: Cubozoa: Carybdeida: Tamoyidae). Zootaxa 2753, 53–68.
Conant F.S. (1897) Notes on the Cubomedusae. Johns Hopkins University Circulars 132, 8–10.
Daly M., Brugler M.R., Cartwright P., Collins A.G., Dawson M.N., France S.C., McFadden C.S., Opresko D.M., Rodriguez E., Romano S. and Stake J. (2007) The Phylum Cnidaria: a review of phylogenetic patterns and diversity 300 years after Linnaeus. Zootaxa 1668, 127–182.
Gershwin L.A. (2005) Taxonomy and phylogeny of Australian Cubozoa. PhD thesis. School of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
Migotto A.E., Marques A.C., Morandini A.C. and Silveira F.L. da (2002) Checklist of the Cnidaria Medusozoa of Brazil. Biota Neotropica 21–31. http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br
Nilsson D.E., Gislen L., Coates M.M., Skogh C. and Garm A. (2005) Advanced optics in a jellyfish eye. Nature 435, 201–205.
O¨stman C. (2000) A guideline to nematocyst nomenclature and classification, and some notes on the systematic value of nematocysts. Scientia Marina 64, Supplement 1, 31–46. Stewart S. (1996) Field behavior of Tripedalia cystophora (Class Cubozoa). Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology 27, 175–188.
and
Werner B. (1973) Spermatozeugmen und Paarungsverhalten bei Tripedalia cystophora (Cubomedusae). Spermatozeugmata and mating behavior in Tripedalia cystophora (Cubomedusae). Marine Biology 18, 212–217. [In German, with English abstract.]Correspondence should be addressed to:
E.R. Orellana
Gumbo Limbo Nature Centre
1801 North Ocean Boulevard
Boca Raton
FL 33432, USA
email: e_orellan@hotmail.com

Monterey Bay Aquarium & "The Jellyfish Experience"

While in California this past April, we knew that the Monterey Bay Aquarium was a must see. I am fortunate that my husband not only tolerates my requirement of seeing every zoo and aquarium available wherever we go, but he enjoys them as well.  Our perspectives are often quite different, but just because I have a marine science background and also have spend innumerable hours in classrooms both at the front and in the seats it does not mean he isn't embracing the experience as well. Quite often it is this outside point of view that keeps me light and happy instead of locked into the left brain that interrupts fun with quips of how this might be inaccurate or that might not be how I would have expressed information. Whatever, dude!  Sometimes just enjoying the beauty and retaining that open excitement is what makes for the best memories and even better stories later in life.

 When we arrived there were some major factors to be considered on this trip:

1) We were traveling with a 2 year old who requires naps in order to avoid becoming a whining terror.

and

2) We were traveling with Grandma and Grandpa who aren't necessarily as enthusiastic about all things aquatic like myself.

These might seem like simple speed bumps to the single and those without children, but to anyone who has truly tackled family trips across the country will understand my dilemmas.

So we managed to find the perfect way to experience the Monterey Bay Aquarium even with the previously mentioned hurdles.  We stayed in a lovely resort that had a concierge and a package deal - get your tickets through the hotel and receive 2 days for the price of 1!! This means that on the first day we were not running around like maniacs trying to experience every little detail of the facility, and not having to rush around is a priceless perk rarely enjoyed when a toddler is involved.  This particular blog entry is chocked full of photos, so take your time and enjoy the captions!

For better details on the actual size and structure of the Monterey Bay Aquarium exhibits, check out their website: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
because, seriously, I could drag on for days about the details I did witness and weeks about speculations on animal husbandry, staff interactions, and exhibit design.  Instead I choose to focus on the experience itself, particularly for a marine biologist and mom who just thrilled to check a box off on the overall bucket list. I must add that this checked box now has an *asterisk next to it to ensure that someday I return. (my list never seems to shrink...)

The first 2 photographs were taken of the same exhibit, a live kelp forest. It was one of the most spectacular of the day(s). Being an Atlantic coast baby, algae is so incredibly different in my local ocean world, and having worked with aquaria including live marine plants and algae, I was absolutely stunned by the magnitude of these 20' strands of slow waving habitat. The Kelp Forest has 2 different viewing levels, and just like virtually every exhibit in the place, an interactive component to help identify the fish and other animals living inside. This computer program passed the toddler test for entertainment/education as well!

The newest exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) is "The Jellies Experience", which opened on March 31st, 2012.  We visited the Wednesday after opening weekend and were extremely privileged to be some of the first visitors to take it all in. The following are some highlights of the "Experience" for us.

Cassiopeia, the upside-down jellyfish, is my personal favorite

The upside-down jellyfish is precisely that - they swim right side up (which means the bell of the animal pulses to produce a small bit of forward thrust) but settle on the bottom with the tentacles reaching up to the surface.  This is because there is symbiotic algae growing on the tentacles! The green strands on the jellies pictured above are clumps of that algae.  These jellies can still sting, but are not as severe as the more famous stinging nettles, etc.

Jace sitting on the "bell" of a harmless jelly

The Jelly Experience is a very dark space but filled with black lights and glowing displays.  While I personally didn't care for the psychedelic theme of the overall experience, each individual aquarium and educational exhibit was remarkable. Even the large jellies that children (and adults) could climb and sit upon was a fun and different way to sit and enjoy the animals.

fascinated by the few black jellies sprinkled throughout this tank

The tanks were all shapes and sizes from tiny and planktonic, filled with baby jellies, to huge and bulbous, giving wonderful 3D views of them swimming.  After speaking with a variety of professional aquarist, the jellyfish exhibits are some of the hardest to maintain since the animals are so delicate - but one would never get that impression from the scope and scale of MBA's jelly world. I also appreciated the special walk-thru light up "combs" in the area focusing comb jelly. Since comb jellies aren't a true jellyfish (neither is the man-o-war, by the way) I was pleasantly surprised to find them there anyway.

Jacen's finger painted jelly goes for a swim on the interactive wall of jellies

From light shows to tunnels, there was a striking amount of fun things for a toddler to do! Above is a unique interactive exhibit that had several consoles where anyone could use their fingers to create a personal jellyfish that literally swims across the screen / tank for all to see! Once you get the "big" kids to share it was pretty cool. This ended up being a great lesson for Jace in "waiting your turn".

Lots and lots of Touch Tanks!

The Touch Tank is such a part of my history as an environmental educator, that there is no way we are passing up the chance to interact with some cool critters. From large decorator crabs to knobby sea stars, our 2 year old was ready to meet them all!  I lost count at the number of touch tanks found in several different locations throughout the Aquarium.  They were all well manned and OPEN!  The volunteers and staff from the scheduled talks to the gift shop had something very interesting in common - a GREAT ATTITUDE!  There were people everywhere and speaking all languages, yet each member of the MBA crew remained pleasant and information while keeping a wonderfully relaxed demeanor.  The impression that everyone actually wanted to be there is vital to the presentation of the entire center.

Another cool aspect of the MBA is that the facility was an old cannery, so the architectural lay out of the facility is not in a traditional style. I sincerely wish our camera batteries hadn't died while visiting because some of the original equipment was still in place to commemorate the history of the Monterey Bay and its interactions with the humans that rely upon it. Alas, I do not have those photos.

Love the intensity of my little pirate scouting the horizon

One the second day of our adventure, we explored the even more toddler friendly areas that included floating play-type interactions about tidal shifts and a wondrous viewing area of the Monterey Bay itself.

Jacen's reaction when we told him we were going back to the Aquarium the next day. The quote: "Holy Cow!" he says.

I was so relieved about day 2 partly because we had skipped the entire wing of the seahorse area in order to avoid skipping nap time.  Maybe I simply have a soft spot for those delicate creatures of the undersea grasslands, but it there were much more than sea dragons in this place!

Just as expansive and thorough as The Jellyfish Experience, we found the sea horses to be fascinating. Still dark in many areas, there was plenty of room to walk around and look at displays without feeling crowded.  A significant feat for any busy aquarium.  I liked that so many aquaria were low enough to the ground that a toddler could look at the animals without having to climb an adult or part of the exhibit.

As part of the interactive play, Jace and I took on the role of a sea horse hiding from predatory fish by changing our color or hiding in the colorful habitat.

Having large scale sea horses to interact with created far more than a great photo-op, it allowed for a personal interaction with a creature that is far to sensitive to live in a Touch Tank.

How do I get one of these for my ceiling at home?

 From the variety of whale and shark species (replicas, don't worry) hanging from the ceilings to the open atmosphere and giant windows viewing the Monterey Bay, this Aquarium not only met the very high expectations that had been building in my mind since I was a child, but surpassed it and left us more than grateful that a second day was available for us to continue our explorations.

So, if you do plan on exploring the Monterey Bay Aquarium, show up early for multiple reasons: parking is tricky if you don't know the area or aren't staying within walking distance.  Take your entire party into consideration; when traveling with those who will struggle with a long walk or need a nap after a few hours, you might need to take a second day if the plan is to actually see and experience everything.  If you want to spend an hour with the otters, plan for that too - it is easy to spend a entire day in this exceptional place.

While I know you wouldn't skip something on your bucket list when the opportunity arises, but be sure to give adequate time to fully embrace that experience too. Don't always cut corners when it comes to yourself!
-Callie