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Mikael · 11-29-2007, 02:43 AM

Inspired by Jeff's spider thread.

My hatred is based on personal experience. I was stung by a jellyfish about two and a half years ago. It was quite painful as it burned for a few days and it took over month to fully heal up. I was a bit afraid it would leave scars but fortunately that didn't happen.

I saw this documentary about jellyfish researchers some time ago. In it the researchers were both stung by a tiny jellyfish called irukandji. The symptoms were extremely painful. Here's a quote from the article on wikipedia about the same documentary:

Quote:

The severity of pain is apparent in a Discovery Channel show on Carukia barnesi when two researchers (Jamie Seymour and Teresa Carrette) are stung. Even under the "maximum dose of morphine" Teresa remarked that she "wished she could rip her skin off", and is later seen writhing uncontrollably from the pain, while lying on her hospital bed. In a particularly disturbing shot, we see Teresa's feet contorting and digging into the bed. When the camera pulls out to a wide shot, she is rubbing her face, her body is contorting in agony, and her legs are rapidly sliding and kicking around on the bed. Jamie, at his worst, is also seen writhing in pain, curled up in a ball and barely able to speak. Jamie said he wished that he was stung by Chironex fleckeri instead since "the pain goes away in 20 minutes or you die".

Short clip from the documentary (no sound (un)fortunately) It's somewhat painful to watch her suffer:

Choleric · 11-29-2007, 03:05 AM

Hmm... jellyfish.

Never had an encounter with them except at the zoo.

Can't those be quite deadly as well?

Glad you weren't seriously hurt though Mikael.

The Emperor · 11-29-2007, 03:22 AM

Jellyfish? That bitch got me several times while i was kid, hate them too.

Mikael · 11-29-2007, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff

Hmm... jellyfish.

Never had an encounter with them except at the zoo.

Can't those be quite deadly as well?

Glad you weren't seriously hurt though Mikael.

Most of them are not dangerous for humans but some stings can be fatal. One especially dangerous species is the box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri). I once again quote good ol' wikipedia:

Quote:

Fatalities have been observed as little as four minutes after envenomation, notably quicker than any snake, insect or spider and prompting its description as the world's deadliest venomous animal. Although an antivenom exists, treating a patient in time can be difficult or impossible.

The jellyfish sting on my knee/thigh area was only a little more severe than a bee/wasp sting or a nettle sting. It took so long to heal because it got infected.

Bruce · 11-29-2007, 07:29 AM

Can't say I have ever had an encounter with (a) Jellyfish, and I hope that it bloody well stays that way.

By the way, that video is indeed painful to watch.

The Diva · 11-29-2007, 09:02 PM

ME TOOO!

plenty of them here in Florida.

Yes, it stings like $#@$#!!!!

dang invertebrates!

Gullwing · 11-29-2007, 10:17 PM

I was watching something on jellyfish a few months ago. If I recall Irukandji is fatal within 5-10 minutes. Irukandji is so small it would float through the anti jellyfish nets around some Australian beaches.
I like living in the middle of a desert

Mikael · 11-30-2007, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Car Diva

ME TOOO!

plenty of them here in Florida.

Yes, it stings like $#@$#!!!!

dang invertebrates!

I hope they don't recommend using alcohol, ammonia or urine on the sting there in Florida as it only makes the remaining nematocysts release more venom.

The correct way is to use vinegar (3 to 10% aqueous acetic acid) .

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gullwing

I was watching something on jellyfish a few months ago. If I recall Irukandji is fatal within 5-10 minutes. Irukandji is so small it would float through the anti jellyfish nets around some Australian beaches.
I like living in the middle of a desert

Actually the Irukandji sting is not fatal within 5-10 minutes because the stinger injects the venom only from the tip and not throughout length. This means the sting is mild and the effect is delayed for 5-120 minutes (30 minutes on average). The venom itself is very strong but fortunately you only get a small amount of it through a sting. It's not usually fatal but two people are believed to have died as a result of an Irukandji sting.

There is only one jellyfish species living in the Baltic Sea and it's completely harmless for humans. I got the sting when I was swimming in the (Mediterranean) sea in Spain.

11-29-2007, 03:05 AM	#2
Choleric Justice Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Great Plains Posts: 2,513 Thanks: 236 Thanked 569 Times in 292 Posts	Re: I hate jellyfish! Hmm... jellyfish. Never had an encounter with them except at the zoo. Can't those be quite deadly as well? Glad you weren't seriously hurt though Mikael. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Share on Facebook! Google Bookmark this Post! Spurl this Post! Reddit! Wong this Post! Tweet This!

11-29-2007, 03:22 AM	#3
The Emperor Bionic Jive Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Where noone has gone before... Posts: 6,639 Thanks: 350 Thanked 486 Times in 282 Posts	Re: I hate jellyfish! Jellyfish? That bitch got me several times while i was kid, hate them too. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Share on Facebook! Google Bookmark this Post! Spurl this Post! Reddit! Wong this Post! Tweet This!

11-29-2007, 07:29 AM	#5
Bruce Connoisseur Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: British Columbia Posts: 6,703 Thanks: 1,282 Thanked 957 Times in 556 Posts	Re: I hate jellyfish! Can't say I have ever had an encounter with (a) Jellyfish, and I hope that it bloody well stays that way. By the way, that video is indeed painful to watch. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Share on Facebook! Google Bookmark this Post! Spurl this Post! Reddit! Wong this Post! Tweet This!

11-29-2007, 09:02 PM	#6
The Diva Master Shopper Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Tampa Bay Posts: 926 Thanks: 974 Thanked 860 Times in 424 Posts	Re: I hate jellyfish! ME TOOO! plenty of them here in Florida. Yes, it stings like $#@$#!!!! dang invertebrates! Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Share on Facebook! Google Bookmark this Post! Spurl this Post! Reddit! Wong this Post! Tweet This!

11-29-2007, 10:17 PM	#7
Gullwing Enthusiast Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 361 Thanks: 19 Thanked 82 Times in 67 Posts	Re: I hate jellyfish! I was watching something on jellyfish a few months ago. If I recall Irukandji is fatal within 5-10 minutes. Irukandji is so small it would float through the anti jellyfish nets around some Australian beaches. I like living in the middle of a desert Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Share on Facebook! Google Bookmark this Post! Spurl this Post! Reddit! Wong this Post! Tweet This!

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I hate jellyfish!