Moderators: Elvis, DrVolin, Jeff
'Pink Meanie' a Jellyfish Like No Other
Jan. 10, 2011 -- Meet the "pink meanie," a new species of jellyfish discovered by scientists at Dauphin Island Sea Lab and the University of California, Merced.
...
On the surface, this brightly colored jellyfish may not appear to be particularly extraordinary. According to DNA and morphological analysis, however, this marine animal, Drymonema larsoni, is not only a new species of jellyfish, but also a new family.
Found in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, the pink meanie is the first new scyphozoan family discovered since 1921.
"It's rare that something like this could escape the notice of scientific research for so long," Keith Bayha, a scientist at at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, said in a press release.
"That it did is partially due to Drymonema's extreme rarity almost everywhere in the world."
This new research adds to the growing body of evidence that jellyfish species are more diverse than once believed. Since jellyfish can appear quite similar on the surface, it was once thought that only a handful of jellyfish species spread across the oceans.
Given the degree of variety among jellyfish, the responses of individual species to environmental pressures, such as climate change, is likely to be equally complex.
The pink meanie currently appears on the cover of the journal Biological Bulletin.
Jellyfish put sting into holiday weekend at some Florida beaches
CNN) -- Hundreds of people trying to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend on Atlantic beaches in central Florida encountered an unwelcome surprise: swarms of purplish, stinging jellyfish.
More than 800 people at beaches from Cocoa Beach to Cape Canaveral have been stung, Brevard County Ocean Rescue officials said.
Assistant Chief Eisen Witcher said the reports began coming in Friday, but as the Memorial Day weekend got into full swing, the numbers increased dramatically.
"Saturday, we got about 200 reports. Sunday, we got another 250," he said.
All weekend long, countless numbers of jellyfish washed up on shores, standing out against the sand due to their distinctive hue.
"They're very visible because of their color," Witcher said. "They come in large amounts, very large groups."
Witcher said Brevard County shores are more familiar with Portuguese man o' war and cannonball jellyfish, not this current species, which he said he believes are called mauve stingers.
"This time of year, this can happen when the conditions are perfect for jellyfish to wash up. You have an onshore breeze combined with an east swell."
The stings cause itching, burning and rashes and can sometimes spur an allergic reaction.
Although none of the stings was believed to be serious, officials said two people who were stung were taken to hospitals after suffering from respiratory distress. It was unclear whether the distress was directly caused by the sting or came from a pre-existing medical condition.
"Most of the stings are being reported on the ankles, but others have been getting it on the chest, arms, you name it," Witcher said.
He said victims were being treated by a vinegar solution stocked at the various lifeguard stations.
"We have that solution there at all times, but we knew that we were going to have a lot of people out here this weekend," Witcher said. "These jellyfish are not a major threat, but they are annoying."
1,600-plus Florida beachgoers stung by jellyfish, county officials say
By Vivian Kuo, CNN / May 31, 2011 5:17 p.m. EDT
A swarm of purplish, stinging jellyfish is washed up on Cocoa Beach, Florida, on Saturday.STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* The jellyfish are visitors to central Florida's Atlantic beaches
* They congregated in a 10-mile stretch off the coast of Brevard County
* The mauve stinger jellyfish are small but "pretty potent," scientist says
(CNN) -- More than 1,600 people within a 10-mile stretch of central Florida's Atlantic beaches have been stung in the past week by a distinctive species of jellyfish not indigenous to North America, a rescue official said Tuesday.
Brevard County Ocean Rescue officials said they began flying warning flags at beaches from Cocoa Beach to Cape Canaveral last Tuesday, indicating either a medium or high hazard, along with another flag indicating dangerous marine life.
"From last Wednesday to Friday, we got about 600 reports. Saturday to (Tuesday), we got another thousand," Chief Jeff Scabarozi said.
Monty Graham, a scientist at Alabama's Dauphin Island Sea Lab, said the jellyfish appear to be what are known as mauve stingers, a species that often blooms in response to small climate cycles like El Niño.
"The interesting thing about these jellyfish is that they're very sporadic. They occur in heavy numbers, but not every year," he said.
Graham said the last time he had seen such a widespread outbreak in the United States was more than a decade ago. "They're much more common in the Mediterranean," he said. "Probably what we're seeing is a large population bloom in the Gulf of Mexico transported by the Gulf Stream wrapping around the coast of Florida."
All weekend long, countless numbers of jellyfish washed up on shores, standing out against the sand due to their characteristic purplish-reddish hue.
Graham said that although mauve stingers are smaller and much less familiar than the Portuguese man o' war and cannonball jellyfish that often wash up on Florida shores, the ruddy-colored animal can pack a punch.
"While they might be small, they're actually pretty potent. And unlike the others, these animals actually have stinging cells up on the top of their bells in addition to the stingers on their tentacles, which is uncommon."
When stung, mauve stinger victims may see a discoloration on their skin where contact was made, Graham said. "These guys will leave actual marks on you sometimes. It may stay with you for quite some time, but over time it will go away."
The stings cause itching, burning and rashes and can sometimes spur an allergic reaction. Although none of the stings reported in Brevard County was believed to be serious, officials said two people who were stung were taken to hospitals after suffering from respiratory distress. It was unclear whether the distress was directly caused by the stings or came from a pre-existing medical condition.
Most victims were being treated by a vinegar solution stocked at the various lifeguard stations.
Despite the abundance of visible jellyfish in the water, many trying to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend took their chances -- and suffered the repercussions.
"We've already gone through about 25 gallons of vinegar. Even so, a lot of people didn't go into the water," Scabarozi said. "I just want to know when they're going to leave."
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/31/florida.jellyfish/
.A nuclear reactor in Japan was forced to shut down due to infiltration of enormous swarms of jellyfish near the power plant.
A similar incident was also reported recently in Israel when millions of jellyfish clogged down the sea-water cooling system of a power plant located there.
Such massive invasions of the species have scientists are trying to figure out the reason behind such unusual growing trends.
"The several [power plant] incidents that happened recently aren't enough to indicate a global pattern. They certainly could be coincidental," Monty Graham, a jellyfish biologist and senior marine scientist at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab off the Gulf Coast of Alabama stating, told LiveScience.
Recent studies have found out that jellyfish blooming occurs mostly during the summer and spring months
Jeff wrote:Not this week, but just noticed it:
Sons of Blackwater Open Corporate Spying Shop
By Spencer Ackerman
May 12, 2011
...
During a Thursday press conference in Washington that served as a coming-out party for the company, Jellyfish’s executives described an all-purpose “private-sector intelligence” firm.
...
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05 ... -business/
American Dream wrote:
Peanut Butter and Jellyfish Sandwiches, and more, at:
http://www.deependdining.com/2007/03/al ... me-pb.html
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 28 guests