Greek heroes turned to stone under the gaze of the mythical witch Medusa Gorgon. Will the real and at the same time the world's largest jellyfish, the Arctic cyanide, make you freeze from shock? This floating nightmare has a 2m diameter bell and extends its tentacles up to 30m! Learn the truth about giant jellyfish, their size and lifestyle, and the chances of encountering them in the wild.

First place: Arctic cyanide - the longest animal on the planet

The owner of the longest body prefers the cold waters of the White, Kara and Barents Seas, although he often descends to the latitudes of Boston and northern Portugal. In 1870, residents of one of the villages on the shores of Massachusetts Bay went out to collect fish left on the sand after a storm, and found a gigantic jellyfish thrown out by the sea.

Animal measurements showed:

• 7.5 feet (2.3 m) - span of the bell;
• 120 feet (36.6 m) - the length of the tentacles;
• 121.4 feet (37 m) - full length from crown to tip of tentacles.

Even the blue whale falls short of the cyanide record of 3.5m!

What does a giant jellyfish look like and what does it eat?

The dome of cyanide, flickering with a greenish light, is painted burgundy closer to the edges and is divided into 16 lobes. Numerous tentacles of the animal stretch behind the dome in a sloppy pink train. Thanks to them, the jellyfish received a second name - hairy.

For a person, a meeting with an Arctic giant is fraught with painful burns. The National Geographic Society of the United States considers cyanide to be potentially deadly, although the case of death from its poison was recorded only once.

Runner-up: Nomura's bell, a yellow giant from the Yellow Sea

Kanihi Nomura, a zoologist and at the same time director of fisheries in the Japanese prefecture of Fukui, puzzled by the clogging of nets by jellyfish, found and described this species in 1921. The animal resembles a clump of tangled fibers from the central part of a pumpkin fruit, hanging from a two-meter bell. The second name of the giant is the lion's mane.

Nomura's tentacles are small, but the mass of one specimen reaches 200 kg. In 2009, a fishing boat capsized off the coast of Japan, the crew of which struggled with nomura that filled the net. The efforts of fishermen to throw the lion's mane out of the nets end sadly: numerous tentacles always find a small strip of open skin, even on a person dressed in a sea robe.

What burns the bell Nomura and his brothers

Jellyfish are slow and clumsy, it is difficult for them to keep the caught prey. So you have to act with a paralyzing poison, grow stinging cells with a coiled harpoon thread inside. When a crustacean or fish touches a tiny protrusion near such a cage, the thread instantly shoots, sticks in the side and injects poison.

Jellyfish toxins are little studied, but it has been established that one of their components is histamine, which is responsible for a sharp allergic reaction. Other substances in the composition of the poison affect the nervous system, paralyzing planktonic trifles and causing severe pain in marine mammals and humans.

Third place: chrysaora - a tender and burning beauty

Chrysaora chose the eastern and western shelves of the North American continent. Its dome reaches a meter in diameter, painted in sandy color with dark radial stripes. 24 thin stinging tentacles up to 5 m long hang from the edges of the dome. 4 more tentacles grow around the mouth, located on the underside of the dome, lush, like a feather boa. All together it resembles a ladies' hat with ribbons.

The second name of the underwater beauty is sea nettle. Like the plant of the same name, chrysaora burns sharply, painfully, but not for long. After an hour, the burning and itching stop, and the next day, redness also disappears.

How chrysaors migrate

There is an opinion that jellyfish only go with the flow. However, they easily move where they want, taking water under the dome and throwing it out with strong shocks. This mode of movement is called reactive.

Chrysaors make multi-day sea voyages in search of prey: crested jellyfish and plankton. Sometimes they gather in clusters of tens of thousands of individuals - zoologists call this phenomenon "swarm" or "bloom". Why the Chrysaors behave this way remains to be explored.

Fourth place: purple striped jellyfish

This rare creature lives off the coast of California. The diameter of its bell reaches 70 cm, the length of thin marginal tentacles is 2 m. In its youth, the jellyfish is colorless, it is decorated with barely visible dark stripes and edging along the edge of the dome. With age, the stripes become bright brown, and the jellyfish itself acquires a rich blueberry color.

The stings inflicted by the purple striped jellyfish are not fatal, but unpleasant, like a lash. In 2012, 130 vacationers on a Monterey Bay beach were injured after encountering a large group of young, and therefore hard to see, animals in the water.

Why is the body of a jellyfish transparent?

The jellyfish does not have a single internal organ. Their flesh is two rows of cells, between them is laid a thick layer of gelatinous substance, which is 98% water. The jellyfish seems to be made of liquid glass.

Cells share all the work of the body. Some produce toxins, others digest prey, others are responsible for sensitivity. There are cells whose duties include the prompt restoration of parts of the body bitten off by turtles and other predators. But since there are only two layers of cells, the general outlines of objects can be seen through the jellyfish.

Fifth place: Black Sea cornerot

For the Mediterranean and Black Seas, this is the largest representative of jellyfish. The diameter of the bell reaches 60 cm, weight - 10 kg. Cornerot does not have long trapping tentacles characteristic of chrysaora or cyanide. There are small oral lobes resembling young roots of well-fed seedlings.

Cornerots are hardly noticeable, because on their transparent colorless body there is only one colored area - the purple edging of the dome. Bathers discover the jellyfish when they touch the floating jelly. For most people, this animal is safe, and only severe allergic people react to its soft touch with a scattering of urticaria.

Can a jellyfish feel

Sight, hearing, taste - this is not about jellyfish. The nervous system is too primitive. However, sailors have long noticed that before a storm, cornerots disappear, go away from the coast.

It turned out that along the edges of the dome, the animals carry tubes with lime crystals. In response to infrasounds that appear in the sea 10-15 hours before the storm, the crystals begin to move and touch microscopic sensitive tubercles.

This signal is received by nerve cells. Now the sailors are armed with the "jellyfish ear" device, which notifies in advance of the approach of bad weather.

The world's largest jellyfish cyanide and its smaller sisters are one of the most beautiful inhabitants of the ocean. Slowly and mysteriously they dance in the thickness of salty water for hundreds of millions of years. During this time, they acquired delicate colors, burning poisons and the finest hearing. But zoologists are sure that far from all the secrets of transparent beauties have been revealed.

Jellyfish are very amazing creatures that cause an extraordinary attitude towards them. Jellyfish can be found in every sea, in every ocean, on the surface of the water or many kilometers deep.

Jellyfish are the oldest animals on the planet, their history goes back at least 600 million years. In nature, there are an incredible number of diverse species, but even at the present time, the emergence of new ones, previously unfamiliar to scientists, is being recorded.

Jellyfish (Polypomedusae) are one of the phases of the life cycle of cnidarian Medusozoa, which are usually divided into three types: hydroid, scyphoid and cubomedusa. Jellyfish reproduce sexually. There are males that produce sperm and females that produce eggs. As a result of their merger, the so-called planula is formed - the larva of the jellyfish. Planula settles to the bottom, where over time it turns into a polyp (asexual generation of jellyfish). Reaching full maturity, the polyp begins to bud off the young generation of jellyfish, often not at all like adults. In scyphoid jellyfish, the newly separated specimen is called the ether.
The body of jellyfish is a jelly-like dome, which, through contractions, allows them to move in the water column. Tentacles, equipped with stinging cells (cnidocytes) with burning poison, are designed for hunting and capturing prey.

The term "jellyfish" was first used by Carl Linnaeus in 1752 as an allusion to the animals' resemblance to the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Popularized around 1796, the name has also been applied to other medusoid species, such as ctenophores.

Some interesting facts about jellyfish:

The largest jellyfish in the world can reach up to 2.5 meters in diameter and have tentacles over 40 meters long.
Jellyfish are able to reproduce both sexually and by budding and fission.
Jellyfish "Australian wasp" is the most dangerous poisonous animal in the world's oceans. The venom of a sea wasp is enough to kill 60 people.
Even after the death of a jellyfish, its tentacles are able to sting for more than two weeks.
Jellyfish do not stop growing throughout their lives.
Large clusters of jellyfish are called "swarm" or "bloom".
Some types of jellyfish are eaten in East Asia, considering them a "delicacy".
Jellyfish do not have a brain, respiratory system, circulatory, nervous and excretory systems.
The rainy season significantly reduces the number of jellyfish that live in salt water.
Some female jellyfish can produce up to 45,000 larvae (planula) per day.

pink jellyfish from the Scyphozoan family was discovered quite recently, just over 10 years ago, in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Some individuals of this species reach up to 70 cm in diameter. Pink jellyfish can inflict severe and painful burns, especially if the bather inadvertently finds himself among a large concentration of these creatures.

Antarctic Diplulmaris- one of the species of jellyfish of the Ulmaridae family. This jellyfish was discovered recently in Antarctica, in the waters of the continental shelf. The Antarctic Diplulmaris is only 4 cm in diameter.

Jellyfish "flower hat"(lat. Olindias Formosa) - one of the species of hydroid jellyfish from the order Limnomedusae. Basically, these cute creatures live off the southern coast of Japan. A characteristic feature is the motionless hovering near the bottom in shallow water. The diameter of the "flower cap" usually does not exceed 7.5 cm. The tentacles of the jellyfish are located not only along the edge of the dome, but also over its entire surface, which is not at all typical for other species. A flower cap burn is not fatal, but it is quite painful and can lead to severe allergic reactions.

purple striped jellyfish(lat. Chrysaora Colorata) from the class Scyphozoa is found only near the coast of California. This rather large jellyfish reaches 70 cm in diameter, the length of the tentacles is about 5 meters. A characteristic feature is the striped pattern on the dome. In adults, it has a bright purple color, in young ones it is pink. Usually purple-striped jellyfish are kept singly or in small groups, unlike most jellyfish of other species, which often form huge colonies. Chrysaora colorata burn is quite painful, but not fatal to humans.

Giant jellyfish Nomura(lat. Nemopilema nomurai) - a species of scyphoid jellyfish from the order of cornerots. This species predominantly inhabits the East China and Yellow Seas. The size of this species is really impressive! They can reach up to 2 meters in diameter and weigh about 200 kg. The name of the species was given in honor of Mr. Kan'ichi Nomura, the general manager of fisheries in Fukui Prefecture. In early 1921, Mr. Nomura first collected and studied a hitherto unknown species of jellyfish. Currently, the number of Nomura jellyfish in the world is growing. Scientists consider climate change, overexploitation of water resources and environmental pollution as possible causes of population growth. In 2009, a 10-ton fishing trawler capsized in Tokyo Bay with three crew members trying to pull nets overflowing with dozens of Nomura jellyfish.

Tiburonia grandrojo- a little-studied species of jellyfish from the Ulmáridos family, discovered by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) only in 2003. It lives at depths between 600 and 1500 meters in Hawaii, the Gulf of California and Japan. Due to the rich dark red coloring, this type of jellyfish was nicknamed Big Red. The large red jellyfish is one of the largest species of jellyfish, its diameter is from 60 to 90 cm. Only 23 individuals of this red giant have been found and studied so far.

Pacific sea nettle(lat. Chrysaora fuscescens) - has a bright characteristic golden brown color, due to which it is often kept in captivity (aquariums and oceanariums). The name of the genus of jellyfish Chrysaora (Chrysaora) goes back to Greek mythology. Chrysaor is the son of Poseidon and Medusa Gorgon, his name in translation sounds like "one who has golden weapons." In the wild, sea nettle lives in the Pacific Ocean from Canada to Mexico. The diameter of the dome of a jellyfish can reach more than 1 meter, but more often no more than 50 cm, the length of the tentacles is 3-4 meters. The tentacles of the jellyfish are very thin, so the burn looks like a bright red welt, similar to a whiplash. Although victims experience severe pain and burning, contact with a medical facility is usually not required. To neutralize the effects of jellyfish toxins and relieve pain, you can use vinegar or citric acid.

portuguese boat(lat. Physalia physalis) is a bright and very toxic representative of the colonial hydroids from the siphonophore order. It is most common in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific and Indian Oceans and in the North Atlantic Ocean. Recently, there has been a significant increase in the number of this species. Since 1989, physalia appeared in the Mediterranean Sea, for the first time off the coast of Africa, then Corsica, in 2010 it was found off the coast of Malta. In the period 2009-2010, cases of the appearance of physalis were recorded off the coasts of Ireland and Florida. Entire fleets of Portuguese boats today can be found off the coast of Guyana, Colombia, Jamaica, Venezuela, Australia and New Zealand. In fact, the Portuguese man-of-war is not a single jellyfish, since it is a whole colony of polypoid and medusoid individuals united under one "roof". The tentacles of this unusual organism in the straightened form can reach up to 50 meters in length. A burn by a Portuguese boat is comparable in toxicity to a bite from a poisonous snake. In case of burns, it is necessary to treat the affected area with 3-5% vinegar in order to prevent the release of poison from the stinging cells remaining in the wound. Only in rare cases, burns of physalia lead to death. The Portuguese boat is especially dangerous for children, the elderly and allergy sufferers. Be extremely careful with this type of jellyfish.

Cephea cephea or the so-called "soft" jellyfish is widespread throughout the Indo-Pacific region, including the Red Sea. This large jellyfish can reach up to 50 cm in diameter.

Aurelia eared(lat. Aurelia aurita) - scyphoid jellyfish from the detachment of disc jellyfish. Widespread in coastal waters of tropical and temperate seas. In particular, the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The diameter of the dome of Aurelia can reach up to 40 cm. The color is pinkish-purple, the body is almost transparent. Until recently, this species of jellyfish was not considered dangerous to humans. However, recently there have been several cases of severe burns in the Gulf of Mexico. It is believed that in the waters of the Black Sea, aurelia does not pose a serious danger to humans.

australian jellyfish or sea wasp (lat. Chironex fleckeri) from the class of box jellyfish is the most dangerous deadly animal in the world's oceans. The main habitats are the coast of northern Australia and Indonesia. The sea wasp is one of the largest species of box jellyfish, the diameter of its dome can reach up to 20-30 cm. The pale blue color and almost complete transparency make it especially dangerous for swimmers, since it is not easy to notice in the water. The tentacles of the jellyfish are densely covered with stinging cells containing an exceptionally strong poison. Burns inflicted by box jellyfish cause severe excruciating pain and in some cases can lead to quick death. The venom of the sea wasp simultaneously affects the heart, nervous system and skin. At the same time, the neurotoxic venom of the jellyfish acts much faster than the poison of any snake or spider. There have been cases where death occurred within 4 minutes of contact. First aid for a sea wasp burn consists in immediately treating the affected area with vinegar, removing tentacles adhering to the skin (remove only with protected hands or tweezers!) And immediately contacting a medical institution, as antitoxic serum may be required. The Australian jellyfish is the most dangerous jellyfish in the world!

ctenophores(lat. Ctenophora) - jellyfish-like organisms that live in sea waters almost all over the world. A distinctive feature of all ctenophores is the peculiar "combs", groups of cilia fins used by this species for swimming. Ctenophora sizes range from a few millimeters to 1.5 meters. Among the ctenophores, there are many deep-sea species capable of bioluminescence.

Aequorea Victoria or "crystal" jellyfish - a bioluminescent jellyfish from the order of hydrojellyfish. Widespread along the North American west coast of the Pacific Ocean, from the Bering Sea to Southern California.

Spotted Australian jellyfish(lat. Phyllorhiza punctata) belongs to the family of pelagic jellyfish. Its main habitat is the South Pacific. The usual size of the dome of the spotted Australian jellyfish is up to 40 cm, but in the waters of the Persian and Gulf of Mexico it reaches 70 cm. The Australian jellyfish is not dangerous to humans. However, to neutralize the poison, it is worth resorting to a proven method - treating the skin with acetic or citric acid in order to prevent possible allergic reactions. Recently, mass reproduction of Australian jellyfish has been recorded, which can pose a serious threat to the populations of commercial fish. Feeding on caviar and fry, they pass through their tentacles up to 15,000 liters of water per day and swallow a huge amount of plankton and other marine life.

Mediterranean jellyfish Cassiopeia can reach up to 30 cm in diameter. Spends most of the time in shallow water, basking in the sun.

hairy cyanoea or jellyfish Lion's mane (lat. Cyanea capillata, Cyanea arctica) - a large jellyfish from the detachment of disk jellyfish. The species is distributed in all northern seas of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, lives near the coast in the surface layers of water. The bell of the Arctic cyanide (a subspecies of the hairy cyanide) can reach up to 2 meters in diameter, and the length of the tentacles up to 33 meters. The lion's mane is generally considered a moderately stinging jellyfish. The burns inflicted by it are quite painful, and the toxins contained in the poison can cause a severe allergic reaction. However, the venom of this jellyfish is not fatal to humans.

Jellyfish Chrysaora Achlyos- one of the largest species of scyphoid jellyfish. The size of the bell is approximately 1 m in diameter, the tentacles can reach up to 6 m in length. It has the ability of a chameleon - to change color from bright red to black.

A new species of transparent jellyfish discovered in Antarctica. Its diameter is about 2.5 cm

Everyone who swam in the sea at least once saw jellyfish. These are extraordinary creatures, as if they came to us from fairy tales. How do they live, so light and airy, because you can see through them? We want to talk about what jellyfish eat, how their body is arranged and why they are dangerous.

What is a jellyfish made of?

Medusa is a very ancient animal, representing the next phase of the life cycle of cnidarian (aquatic multicellular animals) from the subtype medusozoa.

Looking at this creature, it seems that it is just water in an incomprehensible shell. In part, this is true. The gelatinous body of a creature 98% water covered with connective tissue similar to our skin. On its surface are sensitive little bodies that serve as a kind of sensors that can perceive the environment and its impulses, for example, light or vibrations around.

Of the organs, the stingers have:

• Stomach;
• Intestines;
• mouth opening;
• Eyes (different number).

And mouth lobes containing a scalding substance that is used for defense and food extraction.

The animal moves using its domed shape. It allows, by muscle contraction, to throw out bundles of water from under it, which push the hostess like a jet engine. But, despite this, even the largest individuals cannot resist the sea currents and always move with it.

How and what does it eat in the sea?

Jellyfish are intestinal and invertebrate creatures. This means that they are deprived of some specialized organs, including excretory organs. Food enters through the mouth opening, is digested here with the help of glandular cells, and the remains are excreted back in the same way, that is, in a vicious circle - through the mouth.

What is included in their diet? This predators, they eat small marine life:

• Worms;
• Plankton;
• caviar;
• crustaceans;
• Sometimes even weaker brothers.

In this they are helped by tentacles equipped with stinging poisonous cells that paralyze the victim. They put food in their mouths.

Hunting tactics for different jellyfish are different. Some species pass water through themselves like a filter, leaving what they need. Others wait for the prey to swim up and grab it.

What do scyphoid jellyfish eat?

Scyphoid- marine organisms from the same type of striding, some of which reach very large sizes. Usually these are the very creatures that are shown in the programs, big bright and colorful.

In our country, scyphoid jellyfish are rare, but three species have been seen:

• eared;
• Lion's;
• Cornerot.

Some of them were about a kilometer long.

Scyphoid - passive hunters, they wait for prey to swim up. Any living creature passing through the tentacles activates the work of poisonous cells. There is a release of toxins that paralyze the victim and kill her.

The main food resource of scyphoid is zooplankton - small crustaceans, animal larvae, fish eggs.

Is it possible to keep them in an aquarium and what to feed them?

Until recently, this was not possible. Animals died in conventional aquariums. But progress does not stand still. Carousel-type aquariums or "jellyfish tanks" appeared on the market. The principle of their operation is based on the fact that water does not stand still, but constantly rotates. In such a device, this creature has the ability to hang on the stream, not sink to the bottom and not float up.

The main thing that breeders should know about jellyfish is:

1. That the flow rate should be comfortable for the animals so that they do not sink or float;
2. That there should not be aeration. Air bubbles can harm the inhabitants, they accumulate under the body-dome and throw them up.

Feed your pets in a variety of ways. To do this, use special vitamin supplements. You can take minced seafood from the store and pour it into the water.

Why are jellyfish dangerous?

Everyone knows that some species can harm humans. While swimming, touching the stingers, you can get a severe burn and more.

In our country, there are also such, although in smaller quantities than in other seas:

• Cornerot- the largest representative living in the Black Sea. Its lacy lobes are abundantly supplied with stinging cells. For humans, they do not pose a great danger. Only people with individual sensitivity to touch can develop burns that look like a "bite" of nettles. That is why it is sometimes called "sea nettle";
• hairy cyanoea- Found in the Pacific. Her bell-shaped body has a variety of colors with a predominance of red tones. The long tentacles are a dense network densely packed with poisonous cells. Their toxins are capable of quickly killing small fish. For humans, they are not so dangerous, but her bite is felt on the skin, can cause allergies;
• Gonionema - found in the Sea of ​​Japan. A small inhabitant, through whose transparent umbrella one can see the drawing of a cross. The defeat of its cells is not fatal, but very painful. There are cases when people could not do without the help of doctors. This is due to the effect of the poison on the nervous system. The person may lose sensation in the limbs or have trouble breathing.

These are all representatives of the aspirants who can somehow cause harm. The rest are dangerous only for the inhabitants of the sea.

How to treat bites?

But, if this nevertheless happened and you were stung by a jellyfish, proceed as follows:

• Wash off toxic substances with water;
• Do not scratch or touch the bite site;
• Apply cold or make a lotion. For this, apple cider vinegar or ammonia is suitable;
• Take antihistamines;
• Apply a remedy for insect bites or "Fenistil-gel", "Psilo-balm" on the wound;
• Drink plenty of fluids;
• Be sure to see a doctor.

Yes, the poisons of the animals living in our seas are not lethal. But be careful, they can cause severe allergies. Watch the victim closely for the first day, especially if it is a child.

Surprisingly, these beautiful creatures are real predators. Now, knowing what jellyfish eat, you can safely tell your friends about it. This animal is not just a bag of water, as some make them out to be. It is an organism that eats other animals. And sometimes their own kind.

Jellyfish feeding video

In this video, oceanologist Roman Vorotnikov will show how jellyfish feed in an aquarium:

"Crystal Meat" - so figuratively and poetically the inhabitants of China call jellyfish.
In China and South Korea, if there is no jellyfish on the menu of a fish restaurant, then this does not qualify him to receive the highest category.
Jellyfish fishing is developed mainly in the countries of Southeast Asia: China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Among the edible jellyfish in these countries, the most popular are: Ropilema and Aurelia. The cost of one ton of salted jellyfish can reach 5-8 thousand US dollars.

In China, where jellyfish have been considered a favorite delicacy since ancient times, the mouth lobes of the extracted jellyfish are separated and the umbrella is washed until the internal organs are completely removed from the mucus. Thus, in fact, only the jelly-like mass of the umbrella enters the further processing. There is a very complex - from 3 to 6 stages - and a long - from 20 to 40 days - procedure for soaking jellyfish umbrellas in a mixed solution of salt and alum (or juice and leaves of tanning plant species). The dehydrated and hardened product - "crystal meat" - is further used to prepare a wide variety of dishes. Salted jellyfish are added to salads, and are also eaten boiled and fried, seasoned with pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. By itself, the jellyfish is tasteless, therefore, when cooking, the addition of various spices is desirable.
In Japan, where the jellyfish is also considered a delicacy, the product is no less carefully processed. The umbrella of the jellyfish is separated from the tentacles, dried and salted, and the salted jellyfish is desalinated immediately before cooking.
Jellyfish is extremely useful, it contains various vitamins and minerals (manganese, iron, chromium, copper, 17 amino acids). The Japanese believe that jellyfish promote longevity. The Chinese call jellyfish "crystal meat", they treat tracheitis and regulate blood pressure.

Jellyfish are put in salads and desserts, sushi and rolls are made from them, and even used in hot dishes. In total, dozens of culinary masterpieces are created from jellyfish in China and Japan. The main conditions for a successful dish are a professional chef and a fresh product. A frozen jellyfish is absolutely out of the question - after thawing it turns into a nasty slimy goo. Therefore, jellyfish are not exported, and it is impossible to taste this delicacy far from its habitat.
Source answer mail ru

In the cuisine of some eastern peoples, jellyfish fried in oil is an everyday dish. A bluish-green jellyfish is quite suitable for use in food, the bell of which reaches 60-70 cm. In the waters of southern Primorye, it is found in large numbers in June-August. You can catch it with nets. When processing jellyfish, they usually use an umbrella-bell - a substance that resembles a dense jelly, sometimes fleshy appendages that look like cauliflower. The jellyfish bell is thoroughly washed in sea water, and then laid on clean sheets of plywood and dried in the sun.
Jellyfish can be salted first and then dried in the sun.
Dried jellyfish contain more than 10% protein, fat and other useful substances.

Here is an example of one of the popular Chinese salads. The jellyfish is soaked in water, salted in concentrated brine, after three weeks it is taken out and washed, while the main thing is not to damage the fragile “body”. Then it is again soaked in water for a quarter of an hour and dipped in boiling water for 10-15 seconds - again, time is very important, an extra 3 seconds - and the tender “meat” turns into old rubber. The finished jellyfish is cut into strips, mixed with shrimp, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil. Japanese jellyfish are marinated, and then also cut into strips and mixed with steamed vegetables and herbs, and they are also added to fruit jellies and marmalades.
Source lifecity com ua

When you look at jellyfish slowly moving in the water column or washed ashore by a storm, it’s hard to even imagine that some creatures can use them for food what is edible there, because the body of jellyfish mainly consists of water? But it turns out that many marine fish (including Pacific salmon) constantly feed on jellyfish. True, for most of them, jellyfish are a forced food that they consume when there is a lack of other food organisms. However, there are some species for which jellyfish and their gelatinous counterparts, siphonophores and ctenophores, are the main food items. Among them is the fish that lives in the Kamchatka waters, called zaprora (which in Latin means “ship” or “boat”).

Zaprora is a rather large representative of the ichthyofauna, widely distributed in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean from California to the Pacific waters of Japan. The body of the lock is elongated, thick and laterally compressed. The head is short, the mouth is small, with a slightly protruding lower jaw. It has one long dorsal fin, but no pelvic fins. The coloration of this fish varies from gray to greenish on the dorsal side with a lighter belly. The whole body is covered with small dark, and the sides of the head with orange or lemon-yellow spots. Since blockage is not a commercial object, until recently even ichthyologists could tell little about the lifestyle of this fish. It was only known that its dimensions reach more than 1 m and 8 kg; juveniles up to 78 cm long live in the water column and are often found together with large jellyfish, and the main habitat of adults is the bottom layers of water at a depth of 20550 m.

Just a few years ago, the blockage off the coast of Kamchatka was considered a rare species. However, studies carried out in the last decade have shown that in the Pacific waters of the northern Kuril Islands and southeastern Kamchatka, this fish is quite common in areas with complex bottom topography, rocky soils and a sharp drop in depths, where, when fishing for greenling, beaked perch and walleye pollock , often found in catches of several tens and even hundreds of specimens. It was found that in the spring-summer months, the vast majority of fish concentrate at depths of less than 150 m on the slopes of underwater uplifts of the outer ridge of the Kuril ridge among rocks and stones thick, mucous skin). In the rest of the water area at this time, blockage is rare. Since the beginning of September, as the coastal waters cool, the blockage begins to move to greater depths, and therefore, in autumn, it disperses over a larger area, the size of its catches decreases, and the frequency of occurrence, on the contrary, increases. In December, the bulk of the fish shift to depths of 350-400 m, where they stay until spring.

As already mentioned, zaprora is a rather large fish, the size of which reaches 1 m or more, and life expectancy is 13-15 years. The maximum length of its specimens caught in Kamchatka waters in the 1990s was 83 cm, and its weight was 7 kg. But most often in the catches three-seven-year-olds were observed with a size of 2560 cm and a body weight of up to 2 kg.

Leading a relatively sedentary lifestyle among underwater rocks and stones, oddly enough, zaprora feeds mainly on various jellyfish (apparently, the thick, mucous skin of this fish also serves as a good defense when in contact with the burning tentacles of jellyfish), which obviously allows it avoids food competition with perches, greenlings, and some other fish, which are relatively numerous here. Moreover, the process of nutrition is quite peculiar. If the lock swallows small jellyfish whole, then in large ones, with its relatively large terminal mouth, with cutting single-row teeth on the jaws, it bites off only the edges of the umbrellas. Obviously, their loss is not terrible for the jellyfish themselves, since these invertebrates have well-developed regeneration, i.e. restoration of lost parts of the body. Zaprora does not need to take care of food, since the number of jellyfish in the ocean is large, you do not need to chase them (periodically bite off only a piece or two from the one that looks more appetizing), and not every fish dares to attack them bumping into burning tentacles, You can instantly turn from a hunter into a victim.