It’s December but we have had these rather large but beautiful jellyfish hanging around our docks, here at Carefree Boat Club Virginia Beach!

We took some underwater footage with our GoPro!

Time for some fun jellyfish facts:

FACT: Jellyfish have been around since before the dinosaurs. That is more than 650 million years!!!

FACT: Jellyfish belong to the Phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish like sea anemones and coral which are all radically symmetrical.

FACT: They have no brains, blood or nervous system.  Very simple creatures!

FACT: There are about 200 species of True Jellyfishes. True Jellyfish are species belonging to the Scyphozoa. Examples of true jellyfish include moon jellies, Mediterranean jellyfish, sea nettles, lion’s mane jellyfish, blue jellies, and many not as popular species.

FACT: Some are bigger than a human and others are as small as a pinhead

FACT: Mainly made up of water and protein. Their bodies are soft and lack a skeletal structure or outer shell. They are delicate and easily damaged. They require water to help support their body and if removed from their aquatic surroundings, they collapse and die

FACT: Can clone themselves. If a jit is cut in two, the pieces of the it can regenerate and create two new organisms. Similarly, if it is injured, it may clone itself and potentially produce hundreds of offspring.

FACT: They can shut done nuclear reactors. Jellyfish blooms have been responsible for shutting down several nuclear reactors, which often rely on ocean water intakes. They swarms can clog the intake pipes, forcing facilities to stop operating temporarily.

FACT: A group is called a ‘bloom’, ‘swarm’ or ‘smack’. Large blooms can feature over 100000 jellyfish!!!

FACT: They can be found in every ocean around the world

FACT: Approximately 150 million people annually are exposed to jellyfish around the globe. Around 200,000 people are stung each year in Florida and 500,000 around the Chesapeake Bay…Yikes!  Carry some meat tenderizer or vinegar to lessen the sting!