Science

yuiyoshida

(41,835 posts) Fri Jul 17, 2015, 01:18 PM Jul 2015

Jellyfish named after Aussie schoolboy

An Australian schoolboy who discovered a new species of jellyfish in a Queensland canal has had the tentacled creature named in his honor, scientists said.

Saxon Thomas was nine when he spotted a small, box-like jellyfish while fishing with a friend in 2013. Thinking it unusual, he removed it from the water with a net and with help of his father sent it to Queensland Museum.

“We looked at it and we confirmed it was a new species, so we named a new species after him,” Merrick Ekins of the museum said on Thursday. “We thought about it and we thought: ‘Why don’t we highlight the fact that a young, keen, observant lad saw it, and recognized this as interesting and thought that he should contact the museum.’”

Ekins said three different specimens were found of the small jellyfish, which has a bell measuring about 3cm to 4cm and tentacles stretching much longer.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2015/07/18/2003623338

4 replies

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Jellyfish named after Aussie schoolboy (Original Post) yuiyoshida Jul 2015 OP

Is it Poisonous? (It looks poisonous). Herman4747 Jul 2015 #1

All jellyfish are venomous, but this one they dont believe poses a major hazard to humans cstanleytech Jul 2015 #3

As the article says, a lot of box jellies are extremely deadly. longship Jul 2015 #2

cool looking little guy passiveporcupine Jul 2015 #4

Herman4747

(1,825 posts)

1. Is it Poisonous? (It looks poisonous).

Reply to yuiyoshida (Original post)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 01:27 PM

Jul 2015

cstanleytech

(26,313 posts)

3. All jellyfish are venomous, but this one they dont believe poses a major hazard to humans

Reply to Herman4747 (Reply #1)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 08:49 PM

Jul 2015

“We don’t think this one is deadly because no one has ever turned up dying from it and it’s rare, but that doesn’t mean it won’t give someone a very nasty shock,” Ekins said."
Could one kill you? Probably not and while it appears rare I dont advise ever swimming into a swarm of them if you should ever stumble over one, after all one might not harm you but 200 or 300? Its a good bet they could.