Gob-Smacked!
Otherworldly. One-worldly!
Whereas on a current journey to God’s Pocket Resort north of Port Hardy, it occurred to be that there was an enormous aggregation of jellies. It was really awe-inspiring to be diving amid this galaxy of jellies.
The collective noun for jellies really is a “smack”, not a galaxy.
A smack of this magnitude is the results of the jellies’ lifecycle and large tidal exchanges concentrating them. We have been definitely gob-smacked by the quantity and variety as we watched them cascade previous within the present because the plankton they’re, pulsing to feed on smaller plankton.
The astounding picture above was taken by dive buddy Melissa Foo. It’s me within the smack, showing to be in a globe of jellies.
And this picture of me was taken by dive buddy Janice Criminal. I’m together with it anticipating that there can be questions on if we have been stung by the jellies. We weren’t. Solely the stinging cells of the massive jelly species off our coast result in human discomfort. Later on this weblog, I present photographs of these huge jelly species.
Nearly all of the jellies within the smack have been Water Jellies and Cross Jellies.
Cross Jellies, because the identify suggests, have a cross on their bell. They’re Mitrocoma cellularia to 10.5 cm throughout.
Water Jellies are a bunch of jellies which have little traces throughout the skin of the bell that seem like the spokes of a wheel. The little white half hanging down from the bell is the mouth (manubrium). Aequorea species are as much as 17.5 cm throughout.
There have been additionally Moon Jellies. Moon Jellies are straightforward to discern as a result of they’ve a clover form on their bell which is their 4 gonads / intercourse organs. Aurelia labiata are as much as 40 cm throughout.
The next picture reveals a Moon Jelly feminine with fertilized eggs. The eggs are the much less translucent white constructions.
The most important jelly species I noticed have been Lion’s Mane Jellies and Egg Yolk Jellies.
The Lion’s Important Jelly is the largest jelly species on the planet. Cyanea ferruginea may be 2.5 m throughout with 8 clusters of 70 to 150 tentacles which may be as much as 36 m lengthy! Know that the bigger people of this species are usually additional offshore and that they will retract their tentacles.
The Egg Yolk or Fried Egg Jelly is Phacellophora camtschatica and may be 60 cm throughout. They’ve 16 massive lobes that alternate with small lobes giving the bell of the jelly as scalloped edge. Every of the 16 lobes has clusters of as much as 25 tentacles which may be 6 metres lengthy.
The people I noticed on these dives occurred to be white with mild yellow. They half that appears just like the yolk of an egg is commonly darker yellow.
Lion’s Mane Jellies and Egg Yolk Jellies. are the one two widespread jelly species in our waters that may create a sting that irritates human pores and skin, even when the jellies are lifeless. The stinging cells (nematocysts) work even when the jelly is lifeless otherwise you get a severed tentacle drifting by your face. The sting from a Lion’s Mane Jelly is reported to be worst than that of an Egg Yolk Jelly.
I’ve been stung by each and clearly it’s not been sufficient to discourage me from striving to get photographs of them. However if in case you have way more pores and skin uncovered or are a fisher grabbing nets with most of the tentacles wrapped in them, it’s reported to be very uncomfortable.
The answer to the irritation is vinegar (acid), meat tenderizer (enzyme) and I do know that many fishers swear by Pacific canned milk as properly. Analysis places ahead that vinegar is the one actual answer and that urine doesn’t work in any respect.
There have been additionally varied species of sea gooseberry / comb jellies within the smack. These elongate jellies open up at one finish and engulf their prey. Comb jellies transfer by cilia that are organized like enamel on a comb. These cilia trigger mild to scatter whereby you’ll be able to see rainbow-like flashes over the animals. This isn’t bioluminescence as the sunshine isn’t created by the jellies.
Comb Jellies belong to the Ctenophora phylum whereas the opposite species referenced on this weblog are within the Cnidarian phylum.
Beneath there are extra photographs of the smack. All photographs have been taken between October 15 to October 19, 2023 in Browning Move north of Port Hardy, Territory of the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw (the Kwak̕wala-speaking Peoples) ©Jackie Hildering.
