Facts About Box Jellyfish

Commonly known as sea wasp and marine stinger, box jellyfish is a marine invertebrate in the shape of a cube or a bell. It is pale blue and almost transparent. Its has 15 tentacles, which grow from each corner of the bell and can reach up to a length of 10 feet (3 m). Box jellyfish have 24 eyes, six on each side of the cubed bell. With four brains and sixty anuses, they are counted amongst the most dangerous creatures in the world. Different kinds of box jellyfish can be found in waters surrounding Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Philippines, Indonesian Coast, Vietnam, the Caribbean and other tropical areas. Read on further to know some more interesting facts and amazing information on box jellyfish.

Facts About Box Jellyfish

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Cnidaria

Class: Cubozoa

Order: Carybdeida, Chirodropida

Group Name: Fluther, Smack

Length: 10 feet

Weight: 2 kg

Lifespan: Less than 1 year

Diet: Shrimps, planktons and other jellyfish.

Habitat: Calm waters of the shore, in rising tides and near the mouths of rivers, estuaries and creeks, after rain

Age of Sexual Maturity: 70 days

Gestation Period: 55 hours

Number of Offspring: More than 1,00,000

Interesting & Amazing Information On Box Jellyfish

Box jellyfish develops powerful venom to instantly stun or kill their prey, like fish and shrimp.
Box jellyfish is known as the “Suckerpunch” of the sea, since it isalmost transparent and its sting can rarely be detected, until the venom is injected.
Its venom is considered to be the most deadly in the world, as it contains toxins that attack the heart, nervous system and skin cells.
A person stung by a box jellyfish will feel shock, drowning and heart failure, even before he reaches the coast.
An ounce of a box jellyfish’s venom can kill as many as 60 adult humans and can cause human death in less than 3 minutes.
The creature has been known to kill even more people than the Great White Sharks, around the world.
In Australia, box jellyfish are responsible for more deaths than snakes, sharks and salt-water crocodiles combined.
They have more than 5,568 recorded deaths since 1954 (worldwide).
A box jellyfish can shoot itself up to speeds of 4 knots, in a jet-like motion.
Box jellyfish have no gills or organs to breathe. They sleep on the ocean floor ,between 3 pm and dawn.
Box jellyfish are not found over coral, in deep water or around extensive seagrass or weed beds. They are usually found in shallow waters and prefer being near the intersection of the ocean and rivers, if there is any.
In Australia, the season of box jellyfish, when they are mostly found, lasts from October to April every year. The season is from November to March along the northern Queensland or north-western Australian coast.
In Hawaii, there is no season for box jellyfish and they can be found throughout the year. But, they are normally found for 9 to 10 days after a full moon. In the Great Barrier Reef also, box jellyfish can be found in all seasons.
Butterfish, Batfish, Rabbitfish, Crabs (Blue swimmer Crab) and various species of Turtles (Hawksbill turtle, Flatback turtle, and Sea turtle) are some of the predators of box jellyfish.

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