Millions of tourists are drawn to the sea every year. And with nice regularity, millions of jellyfish are drawn to the beaches of the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean. This summer, too, the luminescent jellyfish is drifting towards the Balearic Islands in masses. Many vacationers have already been burned by their stinging threads. Whom it catches, should have vinegar or shaving foam with it.
The luminous jellyfish
At night it glows in the sea, during the day it causes painful burns to bathers – the luminescent jellyfish – Pelagia noctiluca, has become a real plague in the western Mediterranean in recent years. Marine biologists suspect that a major factor in the jellyfish plague is warming waters. The Mediterranean Sea is currently one degree warmer than normal. Another cause, they say, is overfishing, which greatly reduces jellyfish’s natural enemies, such as tuna and sea turtles. Jellyfish – some 300 species are known – are dangerous predators, and have been for well over 600 million years. On the tentacles and arms of the medusae, as well as on the edge of the umbrella, sometimes even on top, sit thousands of the dreaded nettle capsules. These are hurled at the victims like tiny harpoons, paralyzing them – mostly plankton animals and small fish. Above all, the jellyfish protect themselves effectively from enemies. The mean thing about it: even torn-off pieces of tentacles and dead jellyfish still nettle.
Jellyfish in Europe
On the German coasts and in the Mediterranean Sea, the fire jellyfish is the most common. The fire jellyfish grows up to 30 cm wide and has tentacles up to 5 meters long, which even when torn loose can burn the skin when touched – the injury looks like a whip lash. The blue fire jellyfish is slightly smaller than the red fire jellyfish, but burns just the same. It is found on the coasts of the North and Baltic Seas only in the summer months. The ear jellyfish, on the other hand, has only a weak venom, but it can irritate some people on thin areas of skin, such as the face. The compass jellyfish, which can grow to about 30 cm, also causes mild to moderate burns. The luminous jellyfish, which lives in the Mediterranean Sea, has an 8-cm bell but can grow hair-thin tentacles up to 10 meters long. It causes very painful burns. Luminous jellyfish can be recognized by their pink coloration and warty umbrella surface. “This species of jellyfish can nettle so unpleasantly that wounds often don’t heal for a long time, but constantly ooze and only gradually scar over,” says marine zoologist Dr. Robert A. Patzner of the University of Salzburg.
The most dangerous jellyfish
Some jellyfish species are so toxic that they can even kill a human. Among them is the “Portuguese galley.” Its tentacles grow up to 5 meters long. It lives in all oceans, but mainly in the tropical Atlantic to the Hebrides, the Caribbean and rarely in the Mediterranean. The animal is not a “real” jellyfish, but a colony of polyps, whose individual animals have joined together to form a “state”. When coming into contact with the polyps, also called “bluebottle” in Australia, one must not use vinegar – only salt water to wash them off. Then you should see a doctor as soon as possible. One of the most dangerous jellyfish is the Australian sea wasp – it belongs to the genus of the cube jellyfish. Its venom kills a person in just a few minutes. In Australia, even more people die from the venom of the sea wasp (“box jellyfish”) than from snake bites. The jellyfish’s umbrella resembles a cube with rounded edges, hence the name. Single or whole bundles of tentacles are attached to these four edges. The sea wasp is at home in the Pacific and stays especially close to the coast. It is also fast – up to four knots (about 7 to 8 km/h). From May to October, therefore, you should only swim off Australia’s north and northeast coast in special Lycra suits. In some places, there are barriers on the beaches to protect bathers. At the first aid places you get vinegar to treat the wounds: the acid deactivates the cnidocytes – but in any case you still need to see a doctor.
First aid
Within just a few seconds, touching jellyfish can cause painful burning and fever, sometimes even shock. Symptoms range from.
- Pain, itching and hives.
- Nausea and circulatory problems
- Up to respiratory paralysis.
Most often it catches bathers in the water, because jellyfish are hard to see. If you feel the burning pain, you should not panic, at least in Europe, because here the jellyfish are not life-threatening. However, one should immediately leave the water and examine the injuries. After a contact with the jellyfish there are still numerous unburst nettle capsules on the skin. Under no circumstances should you rub the skin with your hand. The Schutzstation Wattenmeer recommends: Still on the beach, if you don’t have vinegar with you, it makes sense to let the skin dry in the air first and then rub it with dry sand – but be careful with your hands, because the nettle capsules can also burn the palms of your hands. If you have vinegar, or lemon as a substitute, available, you can use a soaked cloth to gently rub the skin areas. An antihistamine ointment, like the one used for insect bites, cools. In the case of very extensive burns, one should go to the doctor. The coastal stations of the German Life Saving Society (DLRG) rely on shaving foam: rub the affected skin areas with vinegar or shaving foam, then let the foam dry and rub it with a blunt object such as the back of a knife or a plastic child’s shovel to loosen the nettles from the skin. If there is severe pain and redness of the skin, the doctor should be consulted as a precaution. If you do not have shaving cream with you, you should visit the DLRG rescue stations, where the “home remedy” is available. Diluted ammonia or cooling ointments also help against burns.
