No brain, heart or bones!

Jellyfish have no brain, heart, bones or eyes. They are made up of a smooth, bag-like body and tentacles armed with tiny, stinging cells. These incredible invertebrates use their stinging tentacles to stun or paralyse the prey before gobbling it up.

Sting not!

Jellyfish stings can be painful to humans and, from certain species, they can even be deadly. Although these magnificent marine creatures don’t purposely attack humans, most stings occur when people accidentally touch a jellyfish.

Multipurpose mouth

The jellyfish’s mouth is found in the centre of its body. From this small opening it both eats and discards waste. And it serves another purpose, too – by squirting a jet of water from its mouth, the jellyfish can propel forward!

Fast food

Jellyfish digest their food, which consists of fish, shrimp, crabs and tiny plants, very quickly. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be able to float, being weighed down by the large, undigested grub in their body.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 21st, 2019