All about sharks. Is it possible to get a burn from a jellyfish? Jellyfish near the shore dead or alive

Not only sharks...

A lot of creatures live in the sea and ocean waters, meeting with which can cause trouble to a person in the form of injury or even lead to disability or death.
Here I tried to describe the most common inhabitants of the sea, which should be wary of meeting in the water, relaxing and swimming on the beach of some resort or diving.

moray eels

It reaches a length of 3 m and weight - up to 10 kg, but as a rule, individuals are found about a meter long. The skin of the fish is naked, without yeshui. They are found in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, are widespread in the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Moray eels live in the bottom layer of water, one might say at the bottom. During the day, moray eels sit in crevices of rocks or corals, sticking their heads out and usually moving them from side to side, looking out for passing prey, at night they get out of their shelters to hunt. Usually moray eels feed on fish, but they attack both crustaceans and octopuses, which are caught from ambush.
Moray eel meat after processing can be eaten. It was especially valued by the ancient Romans.

Moray eels are potentially dangerous to humans. A diver who has become a victim of a moray eel attack always somehow provokes this attack - sticks his hand or foot into the crevice where the moray eel is hiding, or pursues it. The moray eel, attacking a person, inflicts a wound that looks like a barracuda bite mark, but unlike the barracuda, the moray eel does not immediately swim away, but hangs on its victim, like a bulldog. She can cling to the hand with a bulldog death grip, from which the diver cannot be freed, and then he dies.

Poisonous. Hiding among underwater rocks and coral reefs in crevices and caves.
When moray eels begin to feel hungry, they jump out of their shelters with an arrow and grab a victim floating by. Very voracious. Highly strong jaws and sharp teeth.
In appearance, moray eels are not very pretty. But they do not attack scuba divers, as some believe, they do not differ in aggressiveness. Isolated cases occur only when moray eels mating season. If the moray eel mistakenly takes a person for a food source or he invades her territory, then she can still attack.

barracudas

All barracuda live in tropical and subtropical waters of the oceans near the surface. There are 8 species in the Red Sea, including the great barracuda. There are not so many species in the Mediterranean Sea - only 4, of which 2 moved there from the Red Sea along Suez Canal. The so-called "malita", which has settled in the Mediterranean Sea, provides the bulk of the entire Israeli catch of barracudas. The most sinister feature of barracudas is the powerful lower jaw, which protrudes far beyond the upper one. The jaws are equipped with formidable teeth: a row of small, razor-sharp teeth dot the jaw on the outside, and inside there is a row of large dagger-like teeth.

The maximum recorded size of a barracuda is 200 cm, weight - 50 kg, but usually the length of a barracuda does not exceed 1-2 m.
She is aggressive and fast. Barracudas are also called "live torpedoes" because they attack their prey with great speed.
Despite such a formidable name and ferocious appearance, these predators are practically harmless to humans. It should be remembered that all attacks on people happened in muddy or dark water, where the moving arms or legs of the swimmer were taken by the barracuda for swimming fish. In Cuba, the reason for attacking a person was shiny objects such as watches, jewelry, knives. It will not be superfluous if the shiny parts of the equipment are painted in dark color. Sharp teeth barracudas can damage the arteries and veins of the limbs; in this case, the bleeding must be stopped immediately, since the loss of blood can be significant.
In the Antilles, barracudas are more feared than sharks.

Jellyfish

Every year, millions of people are exposed to "burns" from contact with jellyfish while swimming.
There are no especially dangerous jellyfish in the waters of the seas washing the Russian coast, the main thing is to prevent contact of these jellyfish with mucous membranes. In the Black Sea, it is easiest to meet such jellyfish as Aurelia and Cornerot. They are not very dangerous, and their "burns" are not very strong.
Only in the Far Eastern seas lives the jellyfish "cross", which is quite dangerous for humans, the poison of which can even lead to the death of a person. This small jellyfish with a pattern in the form of a cross on an umbrella causes severe burns at the point of contact with it, and after a while causes other disorders in the human body - difficulty breathing, numbness of the limbs.

The farther south, the more dangerous the jellyfish. In coastal waters canary islands careless bathers are waiting for a pirate - "Portuguese boat" - very beautiful jellyfish with red crest and multi-colour bubble sail.

Many jellyfish live in the coastal waters of Thailand.
But the real scourge for bathers is the Australian "sea wasp". She kills with a light touch of multi-meter tentacles, which, by the way, can wander on their own without losing their deadly qualities. You can pay for your acquaintance with the "sea wasp" in best case severe "burns" and lacerations, at worst - life. From the jellyfish "sea wasp" died more people than from sharks. This jellyfish lives in the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, especially numerous off the coast of Northern Australia. The diameter of her umbrella is only 20-25 mm, but the tentacles reach a length of 7-8 m and they contain poison, similar in composition to cobra venom, but much stronger. A person touched by a "sea wasp" with its tentacles usually dies within 5 minutes.

Aggressive jellyfish also live in the Mediterranean and other waters of the Atlantic - the "burns" caused by them are stronger than the "burns" of the Black Sea jellyfish, and they cause allergic reactions more often. These include cyanide ("hairy jellyfish"), pelagia ("little lilac sting"), chrysaora (" sea nettle") and some others.

And yet the most dangerous jellyfish live in Australia and adjacent waters. Box jellyfish burns and " Portuguese boat are very serious and often fatal.

You can get more detailed information about the most dangerous jellyfish.

Killer whales (or killer whales)

killer whale (Orcinus orca) is the only member of the killer whale genus (Orcinus).
True, two more species of marine animals belonging to the killer whale family are known - a small or black killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) and pygmy killer whale, or ferez (Feresa attenuata), but these close relatives Orcinus orca are very rare animals, and not many can boast of having seen them in wildlife.
big killer whales (Orcinus orca)- very large and agile carnivorous dolphins, that is, they belong to cetaceans. Female killer whales reach a length of 7-8 m with a weight of up to 4.5 tons, and males - up to 10 m with a weight of up to 7 tons.
One appearance indicates that we have dangerous predators attacking large prey.
And indeed it is. The killer whale has no equal in strength and power of enemies in the sea. This is the most powerful sea animal, which is feared by whales and even great white sharks.

Killer whales swim in flocks of up to 40 individuals and attack seals, walruses, dolphins and even baleen whales, in general, they attack everything that moves.
However, so far there has been no reliable information about their deliberate attack on a person. Different points of view are expressed on this topic - some experts believe that killer whales are no more dangerous than any other dolphins, others convince that the killer whale is a bloodthirsty and merciless beast. Apparently, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. The killer whale is indeed a beast, i.e. a wild animal, so it should be treated with caution. The first version is supported by the fact that in many aquariums, trainers easily swim among their pets, completely without fear of aggression on their part. It should be said that isolated cases are known when even a tamed killer whale killed its trainer. These, even isolated facts, confirm the conclusion about the necessary caution when dealing with them.
The killer whale is a real cosmopolitan: it lives in all oceans from the Arctic to the Antarctic, where it goes far into floating ice. This whale has the most large areas habitation, yielding, for obvious reasons, only to humans. The killer whale is not found only in the Black Sea and the Laptev Sea, but is found even in such Arctic seas as the Kara and East Siberian.

In the tropics, killer whales are less common than in cold and temperate waters.
Killer whales are hunted mainly by the Japanese and Norwegians for meat and fat, but there is no regular fishing anywhere. In Kamchatka and the Commander Islands, killer whales washed up by the sea are fed to dogs and arctic foxes.

stingrays

Trouble can be delivered by rays of the stingray family and electric rays. It should be noted that the stingrays themselves do not attack a person, you can get injured if you step on him when this fish is hiding at the bottom.

Stingrays live in almost all seas and oceans. In our (Russian) waters you can meet a stingray or otherwise it is called catfish. It is found in the Black Sea and in the seas of the Pacific coast. If you step on a stingray buried in the sand or resting at the bottom, it can inflict a serious wound on the offender, and, in addition, inject poison into it. He has a thorn on his tail, or rather a real sword - up to 20 centimeters in length. Its edges are very sharp, and besides, jagged, along the blade, on the underside there is a groove in which dark poison from the poisonous gland on the tail is visible. If you hit a stingray lying at the bottom, it will hit with its tail like a whip; at the same time, he sticks out his thorn and can inflict a deep chopped wound. A stingray wound is treated like any other.
The stingray also lives in the Black Sea sea fox Raja clavata - large, it can be up to one and a half meters from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, it is not dangerous for a person - unless, of course, you try to grab it by the tail, covered with long sharp spines.
Electric rays are not found in the waters of the seas of Russia.

Sea anemones (anemones)

Sea anemones inhabit almost all seas the globe, but like the rest coral polyps, they are especially numerous and diverse in warm waters. Most species live in shallow coastal waters, but are often found on maximum depths World Ocean. Usually, hungry anemones sit quite calmly, with tentacles widely spaced. At the slightest change in the water, the tentacles begin to oscillate, not only they stretch out to the prey, but often the whole body of the anemone leans. Having grasped the prey, the tentacles contract and bend towards the mouth.
Anemones are well armed. The stinging cells are especially numerous in predatory species. A volley of fired stinging cells kills small organisms, often causing severe burns in larger animals, even humans. They can cause burns, just like some types of jellyfish.

Octopuses (Octopoda) - the most famous representatives cephalopods. "Typical" octopuses are representatives of the suborder Incirrina, demersal animals. But some representatives of this suborder and all species of the second suborder, Cirrina, are pelagic animals that live in the water column, and many of them are found only at great depths.
They live in all tropical and subtropical seas and oceans, from shallow water to a depth of 100-150 m. They prefer rocky coastal zones, looking for caves and crevices in the rocks to inhabit. In the waters of the seas of Russia they live only in the Pacific region.

The common octopus has the ability to change color, adapting to environment. This is due to the presence in his skin of cells with various pigments, capable of stretching or contracting under the influence of impulses from the central nervous system, depending on the perception of the sense organs. The usual color is brown. If the octopus is scared, it turns white, if angry, it turns red.
When approaching enemies (including divers or scuba divers), they flee, hiding in crevices of rocks and under stones.
The real danger is the bite of an octopus with careless handling. The secret of poisonous salivary glands can be introduced into the wound. In this case, acute pain and itching are felt in the area of the bite.

One of the contenders for the title of the most dangerous marine animal for humans - octopus maculosus, which is found along the coast of the Australian province of Queensland and near Sydney. Although the size of this octopus rarely exceeds 10 cm, it contains enough poison to kill ten people.
When bitten common octopus a local inflammatory reaction occurs. Excessive bleeding indicates a slowdown in the clotting process. Usually after two or three days recovery occurs. However, cases of severe poisoning are known, in which symptoms of damage to the central nervous system occur. Wounds inflicted by octopuses are treated in the same way as injections poisonous fish.

Lionfish (Pterois)

Lionfish (Pterois) of the Scorpaenidae family are of great danger to humans. They are easily recognizable by their rich and bright colors, which warns of effective means defenses of these fish. Even marine predators prefer to leave this fish alone. The fins of this fish look like brightly colored feathers. Physical contact with such fish can be fatal.

Despite its name, it cannot fly. The fish got this nickname because of the large pectoral fins, a bit like wings. Other names for lionfish are zebra fish or lion fish. She received the first because of the wide gray, brown and red stripes located throughout her body, and the second - she owes long fins, which make her look like a predatory lion.
The lionfish belongs to the scorpion family. Body length reaches 30 cm, and weight - 1 kg. The coloration is bright, which makes the lionfish noticeable even at great depths. The main decoration of the lionfish is the long ribbons of the dorsal and pectoral fins, it is they that resemble lion's mane. These luxurious fins hide sharp poisonous needles that make the lionfish one of the most dangerous inhabitants of the seas.

Lionfish is widespread in tropical parts Indian and Pacific Oceans off the coast of China, Japan and Australia. It lives mainly among coral reefs. Because she lives in surface waters reef, therefore it poses a great danger to bathers who can step on it and injure themselves on sharp poisonous needles. The excruciating pain that occurs in this case is accompanied by the formation of a tumor, breathing becomes difficult, and in some cases, the injury leads to death.
The fish itself is very voracious and eats all kinds of crustaceans and small fish. The most dangerous are pufferfish, boxfish, sea Dragon, hedgehog fish, ball fish, etc. We must remember only one rule: the more colorful the coloring of the fish and the more unusual its shape, the more poisonous it is.

In the Black Sea, there are relatives of the lionfish - the noticeable scorpionfish (Scorpaena notata), it is no more than 15 centimeters in length, and the Black Sea scorpionfish (Scorpaena porcus) - up to half a meter - but such large ones are found deeper, further from the coast. The main difference between the Black Sea scorpionfish is long, similar to rag patches, supraorbital tentacles. In the conspicuous scorpion, these outgrowths are short.
The body of these fish is covered with spikes and outgrowths, the spikes are covered with poisonous mucus. And although the poison of the scorpionfish is not as dangerous as the poison of the lionfish, it is better not to disturb it.
Among the dangerous Black Sea fish, the sea dragon (Trachinus draco) should be noted. Elongated, snake-like, with an angular big head, bottom fish. Like other bottom predators, the dragon has bulging eyes on the top of its head and a huge, greedy mouth.
The consequences of a poisonous injection of a dragon are much more serious than in the case of a scorpionfish, but not fatal.
Wounds from the thorns of a scorpion or dragon cause burning pain, the area around the injections turns red and swells, then - general malaise, fever, and your rest is interrupted for a day or two. If you have suffered from the thorns of a ruff, consult a doctor. Wounds should be treated like normal scratches.

sea urchins

Often in shallow waters there is a risk of stepping on a sea urchin.
Sea urchins are one of the most common and very dangerous inhabitants of coral reefs. The body of a hedgehog the size of an apple is studded with 30-centimeter needles sticking out in all directions, similar to knitting needles. They are very mobile, sensitive and instantly react to irritation.
If a shadow suddenly falls on the hedgehog, he immediately directs the needles in the direction of danger and puts them together in several pieces into a sharp, hard pike. Even gloves and wetsuits do not guarantee complete protection against the formidable peaks of the sea urchin. The needles are so sharp and fragile that, having penetrated deep into the skin, they immediately break off and it is extremely difficult to remove them from the wound. In addition to needles, hedgehogs are armed with small grasping organs - pedicillaria, scattered at the base of the needles.
The venom of sea urchins is not dangerous, but causes burning pain at the injection site, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, transient paralysis. And soon redness, swelling appear, sometimes there is a loss of sensitivity and a secondary infection. The wound must be cleaned of needles, disinfected, to neutralize the poison, hold the damaged part of the body in a very hot water 30-90 minutes or apply pressure bandage.
After meeting with the black "long-needle" sea urchin black dots may remain on the skin - this is a trace of pigment, it is harmless, but it can make it difficult to find needles stuck in you. Seek medical advice after first aid.

Shells (clams)

Often on the reef among the corals there are wavy wings of bright blue.
It's a giant tropical bivalve tridacna (Tridacna gigas). reaches a diameter of 1.2 m and can weigh up to 100 kg or more. According to some reports, divers sometimes fall between its wings, like in a trap, which leads to their death. The danger of tridacna, however, is greatly exaggerated. These mollusks live in shallow reef areas in clear tropical waters, so they are easy to spot due to their large sizes, brightly colored mantle and the ability to splash water at low tide. A diver captured by a shell can easily free himself, you just need to stick a knife between the valves and cut the two muscles that compress the valves.

Do not touch beautiful shells (especially large ones). Here it is worth remembering one rule: all mollusks that have a long, thin and pointed ovipositor are poisonous. These are representatives of the cone genus of the gastropod class, having a brightly colored conical shell. Its length in most species does not exceed 15-20 cm. The cone inflicts a prick as sharp as a needle with a spike that protrudes from the narrow end of the shell. Inside the spike passes the duct of the poisonous gland, through which a very strong poison is injected into the wound.
Various species of the cone genus are common in coastal shallows and coral reefs warm seas.
At the moment of injection, a sharp pain is felt. At the injection site of the spike, a reddish dot is visible against the background of pale skin.
Local inflammatory reaction is insignificant. There is a feeling of acute pain or burning, numbness of the affected limb may occur. In severe cases, there is difficulty in speech, flaccid paralysis quickly develops, and knee jerks disappear. In a few hours, death may occur.
With mild poisoning, all symptoms disappear within a day.
First aid is to remove fragments of the thorn from the skin. The affected area is wiped with alcohol. The affected limb is immobilized. The patient in the supine position is taken to the medical center.

Corals, both living and dead, can cause painful cuts (be careful when walking on coral islands). And the so-called "fire" corals are armed with poisonous needles that dig into the human body in case of physical contact with them.
The basis of the coral is polyps - marine invertebrates 1-1.5 mm in size or slightly larger (depending on the species).
Barely born, the baby polyp begins to build a cell house, in which he spends his entire life. Microhouses of polyps are grouped into colonies from which a coral reef eventually appears.

Hungry, the polyp sticks out tentacles with many stinging cells from the "house". The smallest animals that make up plankton encounter the tentacles of a polyp, which paralyzes the victim and sends it into the mouth opening. Despite their microscopic size, the stinging cells of polyps have a very complex structure. Inside the cell is a capsule filled with poison. The outer end of the capsule is concave and looks like a thin tube twisted in a spiral, which is called a stinging thread. This tube, covered with the smallest spikes pointing backwards, resembles a miniature harpoon. When touched, the stinging thread straightens, the "harpoon" pierces the body of the victim, and the poison passing through it paralyzes the prey.
Poisoned "harpoons" of corals can also injure a person. Among the dangerous ones is, for example, fire coral. Its colonies in the form of "trees" made of thin plates have chosen the shallow waters of tropical seas.

The most dangerous stinging corals of the Millepore genus are so beautiful that scuba divers cannot resist the temptation to break off a piece as a keepsake. This can be done without "burns" and cuts only in canvas or leather gloves.

Talking about such passive animals as coral polyps, it is worth mentioning another interesting type of marine animals - sponges. Usually sponges are not classified as dangerous inhabitants seas, however, there are some species in Caribbean waters that can cause severe skin irritation in swimmers upon contact. It is believed that the pain can be relieved with a weak solution of vinegar, but the unpleasant effects from contact with the sponge can last for several days. These primitive animals belong to the genus Fibula and are often referred to as touchy sponges.

Sea snakes (Hydrophidae)

Little is known about sea snakes. This is strange, since they live in all the seas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans and are not among the rare inhabitants sea depths. Maybe it's because people just don't want to deal with them.
And there are serious reasons for this. After all, sea snakes are dangerous and unpredictable.

There are about 48 species of sea snakes. This family once left the land and completely switched to an aquatic lifestyle. Because of this, sea snakes have acquired some features in the structure of the body, and outwardly they are somewhat different from their terrestrial counterparts. The body is flattened from the sides, the tail is in the form of a flat ribbon (for flat-tailed representatives) or slightly elongated (for dovetails). The nostrils are not located on the sides, but at the top, so it is more convenient for them to breathe, sticking the tip of the muzzle out of the water. The lung stretches throughout the body, but these snakes absorb up to a third of all oxygen from the water with the help of the skin, which is densely penetrated by blood capillaries.
Under water, a sea snake can stay for more than an hour.

The venom of a sea snake is dangerous to humans. Their venom is dominated by an enzyme that paralyzes nervous system. When attacking, the snake quickly strikes with two short teeth, slightly bent back. The bite is almost painless, there is no swelling or hemorrhage.
But after some time, weakness appears, coordination is disturbed, convulsions begin. Death occurs from paralysis of the lungs in a few hours.
The great toxicity of these snakes' venom is a direct result aquatic habitat: so that the prey does not run away, it must be instantly paralyzed. True, the poison of sea snakes is not as dangerous as the poison of snakes that live with us on land. When bitten by flattails, 1 mg of poison is released, and when bitten by a dovetail, 16 mg. So, a person has a chance to survive. Out of 10 bitten sea snakes 7 people remain alive, of course, if they receive medical assistance on time.
True, there is no guarantee that you will be among the latter.

Among other dangerous aquatic animals, especially dangerous freshwater inhabitants should be mentioned - crocodiles that live in the tropics and subtropics, piranha fish that live in the Amazon River basin, freshwater electric rays, as well as fish whose meat or some organs are poisonous and can cause acute poisoning.
But more on that in other sources. Here I have given a description of only some of the dangerous inhabitants of sea and ocean waters.
If you are interested in more detailed information about dangerous species jellyfish and corals, you can find her on

In Sevastopol unexpectedly ended bathing season. The Black Sea was filled with hordes of jellyfish. With details - correspondent "Vesti FM" Oleg Grinev.

"Vesti FM": What's up, what's going on?

Grinev: In fact, there is still no clear explanation of the reasons why all coastal beaches are occupied by jellyfish. Two days ago, bathers discovered that, literally one meter away from the shore, they were swimming in a continuous carpet consisting of both dead and live jellyfish. The scientists took water samples. It is possible that toxins, traces of human activity, got into the water. Because of this, some of the jellyfish died out, and some simply migrated from their permanent habitats and approached the shore. As a rule, jellyfish come ashore in Sevastopol in mid-autumn, when storms begin. And why they approached now remains to be seen.

"Vesti FM": The version that the matter is only in a cold snap does not stand up to criticism?

Grinev: The version does not stand up to criticism for the reason that there is no cooling as such, even recent storms, of course, mixed the upper and lower layers, but, nevertheless, the water temperature is plus 18-19 degrees, and in some bays even reaches 20.

"Vesti FM": But everyone who has ever vacationed on the Black Sea coast knows that there are jellyfish there, but it’s just that now is probably not the season. Too early they appeared and there are a lot of them?

Grinev: Yes. Jellyfish, of course, are. They are met in any weather and at any time of the year. But the fact is that it was hundreds of thousands of jellyfish that covered all Sevastopol beaches with a continuous carpet, not only the bays, but also the beaches of Fiolent, which are constantly washed by the current, including the cold one, why this happened is still not clear. But, again, the possibility is not ruled out that sand was mined on Fiolent just two weeks ago, and thereby destroyed all the benthic fauna. It is possible that it was precisely because of this that the jellyfish were forced to migrate in order to avoid destruction by humans. It is quite possible that during the migration storms, of course, destroyed some of them, and the living ones approached the shore, where there is food for them.

"Vesti FM": Are the beaches officially closed by order of the city authorities?

Grinev: No, the beaches are not closed. There are no unsanitary conditions on the beaches, there are no toxic substances in the water, only jellyfish in the water. Jellyfish are organic. And although they do not pose a serious danger to humans, let's just say that it is unpleasant to swim when you are surrounded by jellyfish.

"Vesti FM": The administration is not going to do anything?

Grinev: So far, it is impossible to do anything - to scoop out jellyfish, very serious forces and means are needed, and given that the coastline is more than 50 kilometers long, it will take more than one day. It is much easier to wait for the next storm or hope that the jellyfish will move away on their own. But, most likely, the next wave of about three points will throw all the jellyfish ashore, and the jellyfish that can will simply go to the depths to avoid the storm.

“Ukraine abandoned the inhabitants of Donbass”

VLADIMIR SOLOVIEV: “Putin said that these are “humanitarian measures”. But Zelensky provoked such a decision. Firstly, he not only repeated all Poroshenko’s mantras about Donbass, but managed to bring the Minsk agreements to the stage of de facto denial that there would be no special status Donetsk and Lugansk will not have an amnesty.”

On the beaches, vacationers continue to watch unusual phenomenon: the coast is still strewn with pinkish jellyfish. To see these beautiful sea creatures, it was not necessary to go far into the water - a huge number of jellyfish, to the delight of the children with shovels and buckets, swam right by the shore. A specialist from the Riga Zoo told where jellyfish came from in Riga and how long this natural phenomenon can be observed.

Why are they washed ashore?

Aurelia aurita or eared jellyfish is the name of a species of invertebrate marine animals that are found in the Baltic Sea. They are round and transparent - just like bags filled with water. These jellyfish swim poorly, they can only rise and sink, hovering motionless. In the second half of summer and early autumn, especially in August-September, they can be found on the coast of the Gulf of Riga. beautiful inhabitants the depths of the sea live only a year, and only once in a lifetime they breed, and then they die. It is the half-dead or dead jellyfish that it throws ashore. So the appearance of jellyfish on the beach is not unusual.

But to meet another type of jellyfish in Latvia - hairy cyanide - can be very, very rare. But sometimes such a jellyfish can be seen in the Pape area.

Is it possible to get a burn from a jellyfish?

Aurelia is poisonous, but its poison is so negligible that it is safe for humans. There have been several cases of fairly severe burns from eared jellyfish in the Gulf of Mexico off the east coast of America and England. Those who rested on the Black Sea say that jellyfish also sting, but the burn is light, weaker than nettle. The Baltic jellyfish cannot bite through human skin. Taking a jellyfish in hand, usually a person does not feel a bite. But still there are people with sensitive skin - for example, children. In such people, the skin may turn red and itch.

Is the presence of jellyfish a sign of clean water?

No, this conventional wisdom is not true. It is only known that jellyfish live only in salt water.

Photo: Nora Krevņeva

Is it possible to swim in a pond where jellyfish are found?

Can. But again, if the skin is sensitive, then you can get burns from the touch of jellyfish. Running barefoot on the shallows, where there are a lot of jellyfish, is also possible, but do not be surprised if your feet itch later.

Aurelia jellyfish are heterosexual creatures. Understanding who is female and who is male is very simple. On the body of males there are milky-white testes, clearly visible and having the form of semirings, in individuals female there are purple and red ovaries that are visible through the bell.

In Japan and China, aurelia jellyfish are used as food; in these countries, fishing for these creatures is organized. Large aurelias are used for salting, small ones are boiled or fried. Fortunately, we do not practice such fishing in Latvia. Jellyfish die a natural death. But sometimes small fish gnaw at the dome of the jellyfish with pleasure.

Original taken from billfish561 in Beautiful, but dangerous inhabitants of the seas and oceans.

A lot of creatures live in the sea and ocean waters, meeting with which can cause trouble to a person in the form of injury or even lead to disability or death.

Here I tried to describe the most common inhabitants of the sea, which should be wary of meeting in the water, relaxing and swimming on the beach of some resort or diving.
If you ask any person "... What is the most dangerous inhabitant of the seas and oceans?", then almost always we will hear the answer "... shark.... But is it so? Who is more dangerous, a shark or a seemingly harmless shell?

moray eels

Reaches a length of 3 m and weight - up to 10 kg, but as a rule, individuals are found about a meter long. The skin of the fish is naked, without scales. They are found in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, are widespread in the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Moray eels live in the bottom layer of water, one might say at the bottom. During the day, moray eels sit in crevices of rocks or corals, sticking their heads out and usually moving them from side to side, looking out for passing prey, at night they get out of their shelters to hunt. Usually moray eels feed on fish, but they attack both crustaceans and octopuses, which are caught from ambush.

Moray eel meat after processing can be eaten. It was especially valued by the ancient Romans.

Moray eels are potentially dangerous to humans. A diver who has become a victim of a moray eel attack always somehow provokes this attack - sticks his hand or foot into the crevice where the moray eel is hiding, or pursues it. The moray eel, attacking a person, inflicts a wound that looks like a barracuda bite mark, but unlike the barracuda, the moray eel does not immediately swim away, but hangs on its victim, like a bulldog. She can cling to the arm with a bulldog death grip, from which the diver cannot be freed, and then he may die.

It is not poisonous, but since moray eels do not disdain carrion, the wounds are very painful, do not heal for a long time and often become inflamed. Hiding among underwater rocks and coral reefs in crevices and caves.

When moray eels begin to feel hungry, they jump out of their shelters with an arrow and grab a victim floating by. Very voracious. Very strong jaws and sharp teeth.

In appearance, moray eels are not very pretty. But they do not attack scuba divers, as some believe, they do not differ in aggressiveness. Isolated cases occur only when moray eels have a mating season. If the moray eel mistakenly takes a person for a food source or he invades her territory, then she can still attack.

barracudas

All barracuda live in tropical and subtropical waters of the oceans near the surface. There are 8 species in the Red Sea, including the great barracuda. There are not so many species in the Mediterranean Sea - only 4, of which 2 moved there from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. The so-called "malita", which has settled in the Mediterranean Sea, provides the bulk of the entire Israeli catch of barracudas. The most sinister feature of barracudas is the powerful lower jaw, which protrudes far beyond the upper one. The jaws are equipped with formidable teeth: a row of small, razor-sharp teeth dot the jaw on the outside, and inside there is a row of large dagger-like teeth.

The maximum recorded size of a barracuda is 200 cm, weight - 50 kg, but usually the length of a barracuda does not exceed 1-2 m.

She is aggressive and fast. Barracudas are also called "live torpedoes" because they attack their prey with great speed.

Despite such a formidable name and ferocious appearance, these predators are practically harmless to humans. It should be remembered that all attacks on people happened in muddy or dark water, where the moving arms or legs of the swimmer were taken by the barracuda for swimming fish. (It was in this situation that the author of the blog got into in February 2014, when he was vacationing in Egypt, the Oriental Bay Resort Marsa Alam 4 + * (now called Aurora Oriental Bay Marsa Alam Resort 5*) Marsa Gabel el Rosas Bay . Medium-sized barracuda, 60-70 cm, almost bit off the 1st f alangu index finger on the right hand. A piece of a finger dangled on a 5mm piece of skin (dive gloves saved from complete amputation). At the Marsa Alam clinic, the surgeon put 4 stitches and saved the finger, but the rest was completely ruined ). In Cuba, the reason for attacking a person was shiny objects such as watches, jewelry, knives. It will not be superfluous if the shiny parts of the equipment are painted in a dark color.

The sharp teeth of the barracuda can damage the arteries and veins of the limbs; in this case, the bleeding must be stopped immediately, since the loss of blood can be significant. In the Antilles, barracudas are more feared than sharks.

Jellyfish

Every year, millions of people are exposed to "burns" from contact with jellyfish while swimming.

There are no especially dangerous jellyfish in the waters of the seas washing the Russian coast, the main thing is to prevent contact of these jellyfish with mucous membranes. In the Black Sea, it is easiest to meet such jellyfish as Aurelia and Cornerot. They are not very dangerous, and their "burns" are not very strong.

Aurelia "butterflies" (Aurelia aurita)

Medusa Cornerot (Rhizostoma pulmo)

Only in the Far Eastern seas lives enough dangerous for humans jellyfish "cross", the poison of which can even lead to the death of a person. This small jellyfish with a pattern in the form of a cross on an umbrella causes severe burns at the point of contact with it, and after a while causes other disorders in the human body - difficulty breathing, numbness of the limbs.

Jellyfish-cross (Gonionemus vertens)

the consequences of the burn of the jellyfish-cross

The farther south, the more dangerous the jellyfish. In the coastal waters of the Canary Islands, a pirate is waiting for careless bathers - the "Portuguese boat" - a very beautiful jellyfish with a red crest and a multi-colored bubble-sail.

portuguese boat (Physalia physalis)

The "Portuguese boat" looks so harmless and beautiful in the sea ...

And so, the leg looks like after contact with the "Portuguese boat" ....

Many jellyfish live in the coastal waters of Thailand.

But the real scourge for bathers is the Australian "sea wasp". She kills with a light touch of multi-meter tentacles, which, by the way, can wander on their own without losing their deadly qualities. You can pay for acquaintance with the "sea wasp" at best with severe "burns" and lacerations, at worst - with life. More people have died from the sea wasp jellyfish than from sharks. This jellyfish lives in the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, especially numerous off the coast of Northern Australia. The diameter of her umbrella is only 20-25 mm, but the tentacles reach a length of 7-8 m and they contain poison, similar in composition to cobra venom, but much stronger. A person touched by a "sea wasp" with its tentacles usually dies within 5 minutes.

Australian cubic (box) jellyfish or "sea wasp" (Chironex fleckeri)

sting from jellyfish "sea wasp"

Aggressive jellyfish also live in the Mediterranean and other waters of the Atlantic - the "burns" caused by them are stronger than the "burns" of the Black Sea jellyfish, and they cause allergic reactions more often. These include cyanidea ("hairy jellyfish"), pelagia ("little lilac sting"), chrysaora ("sea nettle") and some others.

jellyfish Atlantic cyanide (Cyanea capillata)

Pelagia (Noctiluca), known in Europe under the name "purple sting"

Pacific sea nettle (Chrysaora fuscescens)

Medusa "Compass" (coronatae)
Jellyfish "Compass" have chosen their place of residence coastal waters mediterranean sea and one of the oceans - the Atlantic. They live off the coast of Turkey and the United Kingdom. This is enough large jellyfish, their diameter reaches thirty centimeters. They have twenty-four tentacles, which are arranged in groups of three each. The color of the body is yellowish-white with a brown tint, and its shape resembles a saucer-bell, in which thirty-two lobes are defined, which are colored brown along the edges.
The upper surface of the bell has sixteen V-shaped brown rays. The lower part of the bell is the location of the mouth opening, surrounded by four tentacles. These jellyfish are poisonous. Their venom is potent and often results in wounds that are very painful and take a long time to heal..
And yet the most dangerous jellyfish live in Australia and its adjacent waters. Burns of box jellyfish and "Portuguese man-of-war" are very serious and often fatal.

stingrays

stingray "stingray" (Dasyatidae)

Electric Stingray (torpediniformes)

Stingrays live in almost all seas and oceans. In our (Russian) waters you can meet a stingray or otherwise it is called a sea cat. It is found in the Black Sea and in the seas of the Pacific coast. If you step on a stingray buried in the sand or resting at the bottom, it can inflict a serious wound on the offender, and, in addition, inject poison into it. He has a thorn on his tail, or rather a real sword - up to 20 centimeters in length. Its edges are very sharp, and besides, jagged, along the blade, on the underside there is a groove in which dark poison from the poisonous gland on the tail is visible. If you hit a stingray lying at the bottom, it will hit with its tail like a whip; at the same time, he sticks out his thorn and can inflict a deep chopped wound. A stingray wound is treated like any other.

The sea fox stingray Raja clavata also lives in the Black Sea - large, it can be up to one and a half meters from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, it is not dangerous for humans - unless, of course, you try to grab it by the tail, covered with long sharp spines. Electric rays are not found in the waters of the seas of Russia.

Sea anemones (anemones)

Sea anemones inhabit almost all the seas of the globe, but, like other coral polyps, they are especially numerous and diverse in warm waters. Most species live in coastal shallow waters, but they are often found at the maximum depths of the oceans. Sea anemones Usually, hungry sea anemones sit completely still, with tentacles widely spaced. At the slightest change in the water, the tentacles begin to oscillate, not only they stretch out to prey, but often the whole body of the sea anemone leans. Having grasped the prey, the tentacles contract and bend towards the mouth.

Anemones are well armed. Stinging cells are especially numerous in carnivorous species. A volley of fired stinging cells kills small organisms, often causing severe burns in larger animals, even humans. They can cause burns, just like some types of jellyfish.

Octopuses

Octopuses (Octopoda) are the most famous representatives of cephalopods. "Typical" octopuses are representatives of the suborder Incirrina, demersal animals. But some representatives of this suborder and all species of the second suborder, Cirrina, are pelagic animals that live in the water column, and many of them are found only at great depths.

They live in all tropical and subtropical seas and oceans, from shallow water to a depth of 100-150 m. They prefer rocky coastal zones, looking for caves and crevices in the rocks. In the waters of the seas of Russia they live only in the Pacific region.

The common octopus has the ability to change color to adapt to its environment. This is due to the presence in his skin of cells with various pigments, capable of stretching or contracting under the influence of impulses from the central nervous system, depending on the perception of the sense organs. The usual color is brown. If the octopus is scared, it turns white, if angry, it turns red.

When approaching enemies (including divers or scuba divers), they flee, hiding in crevices of rocks and under stones.

The real danger is the bite of an octopus with careless handling. The secret of poisonous salivary glands can be introduced into the wound. In this case, acute pain and itching are felt in the area of the bite.
When bitten by an ordinary octopus, a local inflammatory reaction occurs. Excessive bleeding indicates a slowdown in the clotting process. Usually after two or three days recovery occurs. However, cases of severe poisoning are known, in which symptoms of damage to the central nervous system occur. Wounds inflicted by octopuses are treated in the same way as injections from poisonous fish.

blue-ringed octopus (Blue-ringed Octopus)

One of the contenders for the title of the most dangerous marine animal for humans is the octopus Octopus maculosus, which is found along the coast of the Australian province of Queensland and near Sydney, is found in the Indian Ocean and, sometimes, in the Far East. Although the size of this octopus rarely exceeds 10 cm, it contains enough poison to kill ten people.

Lionfish

Lionfish (Pterois) of the Scorpaenidae family are of great danger to humans. They are easily recognizable by their rich and bright colors, which warn of effective defenses in these fish. Even marine predators prefer to leave this fish alone. The fins of this fish look like brightly colored feathers. Physical contact with such fish can be fatal.

Lionfish (Pterois)

The lionfish belongs to the scorpion family. Body length reaches 30 cm, and weight - 1 kg. The coloration is bright, which makes the lionfish noticeable even at great depths. The main decoration of the lionfish is the long ribbons of the dorsal and pectoral fins, it is they that resemble the lion's mane. These luxurious fins hide sharp poisonous needles that make the lionfish one of the most dangerous inhabitants of the seas.

The lionfish is widespread in the tropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans off the coast of China, Japan and Australia. It lives mainly among coral reefs. lionfish Since it lives in the surface waters of the reef, it therefore poses a great danger to bathers who can step on it and injure themselves on sharp poisonous needles. The excruciating pain that occurs in this case is accompanied by the formation of a tumor, breathing becomes difficult, and in some cases, the injury leads to death.

The fish itself is very voracious and eats all kinds of crustaceans and small fish during night hunting. The most dangerous are pufferfish, boxfish, sea dragon, hedgehog fish, ball fish, etc. We must remember only one rule: the more colorful the coloring of the fish and the more unusual its shape, the more poisonous it is.

stellate pufferfish (Tetraodontidae)

Cube body or box fish (Ostraction cubicus)

hedgehog fish (Diodontidae)

fish ball (Diodontidae)

conspicuous scorpionfish (Scorpaena notata)

black sea scorpionfish (Scorpaena porcus)

The body of these fish is covered with spikes and outgrowths, the spikes are covered with poisonous mucus. And although the poison of the scorpionfish is not as dangerous as the poison of the lionfish, it is better not to disturb it.

Among the dangerous Black Sea fish, the sea dragon (Trachinus draco) should be noted. Elongated, snake-like, with an angular large head, bottom fish. Like other bottom predators, the dragon has bulging eyes on the top of its head and a huge, greedy mouth.

sea dragon (Trachinus draco)

The consequences of a poisonous injection of a dragon are much more serious than in the case of a scorpionfish, but not fatal.

Wounds from the thorns of a scorpion or dragon cause burning pain, the area around the injections turns red and swells, then - general malaise, fever, and your rest is interrupted for a day or two. If you have suffered from the thorns of a ruff, consult a doctor. Wounds should be treated like normal scratches.

The "stone fish" or Wartyfish (Synanceia verrucosa) also belongs to the scorpion family - no less, and in some cases more dangerous than lionfish.

"fish stone" or warty (Synanceia verrucosa)

sea urchins

Often in shallow waters there is a risk of stepping on a sea urchin.

Sea urchins are one of the most common and very dangerous inhabitants of coral reefs. The body of a hedgehog the size of an apple is studded with 30-centimeter needles sticking out in all directions, similar to knitting needles. They are very mobile, sensitive and instantly react to irritation.

If a shadow suddenly falls on the hedgehog, he immediately directs the needles in the direction of danger and puts them together in several pieces into a sharp, hard pike. Even gloves and wetsuits do not guarantee complete protection against the formidable peaks of the sea urchin. The needles are so sharp and fragile that, having penetrated deep into the skin, they immediately break off and it is extremely difficult to remove them from the wound. In addition to needles, hedgehogs are armed with small grasping organs - pedicillaria, scattered at the base of the needles.

The venom of sea urchins is not dangerous, but causes burning pain at the injection site, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, transient paralysis. And soon redness, swelling appear, sometimes there is a loss of sensitivity and a secondary infection. The wound must be cleaned of needles, disinfected, to neutralize the poison, hold the damaged part of the body in very hot water for 30-90 minutes or apply a pressure bandage.

After meeting with a black "long-spined" sea urchin, black dots may remain on the skin - this is a trace of pigment, it is harmless, but it can make it difficult to find needles stuck in you. Seek medical advice after first aid.

Shells (clams)

Often on the reef among the corals there are wavy wings of bright blue.

clam tridacna (Tridacna gigas)

According to some reports, divers sometimes fall between its wings, like in a trap, which leads to their death. The danger of tridacna, however, is greatly exaggerated. These mollusks live in shallow reef areas in clear tropical waters, so they are easy to spot due to their large size, brightly colored mantle, and ability to splash water at low tide. A diver captured by a shell can easily free himself, you just need to stick a knife between the valves and cut the two muscles that compress the valves.

Poison Clam Cone (Conidae)
Do not touch beautiful shells (especially large ones). Here it is worth remembering one rule: all mollusks that have a long, thin and pointed ovipositor are poisonous. These are representatives of the cone genus of the gastropod class, having a brightly colored conical shell. Its length in most species does not exceed 15-20 cm. The cone inflicts a prick as sharp as a needle with a spike that protrudes from the narrow end of the shell. Inside the spike passes the duct of the poisonous gland, through which a very strong poison is injected into the wound.

Various species of the cone genus are common in coastal shallows and coral reefs of warm seas.

At the moment of injection, a sharp pain is felt. At the injection site of the spike, a reddish dot is visible against the background of pale skin.

Local inflammatory reaction is insignificant. There is a feeling of acute pain or burning, numbness of the affected limb may occur. In severe cases, there is difficulty in speech, flaccid paralysis quickly develops, and knee jerks disappear. In a few hours, death may occur.

With mild poisoning, all symptoms disappear within a day.

First aid is to remove fragments of the thorn from the skin. The affected area is wiped with alcohol. The affected limb is immobilized. The patient in the supine position is taken to the medical center.

corals

The basis of the coral is polyps - marine invertebrates 1-1.5 mm in size or slightly larger (depending on the species).

Barely born, the baby polyp begins to build a cell house, in which he spends his entire life. Microhouses of polyps are grouped into colonies from which a coral reef eventually appears.

Poisoned "harpoons" of corals can also injure a person. Among the dangerous ones is, for example, fire coral. Its colonies in the form of "trees" made of thin plates have chosen the shallow waters of tropical seas.

fire coral (Millepora dichotoma)

Talking about such passive animals as coral polyps, it is worth mentioning another interesting type of marine animals - sponges. Usually sponges are not classified as dangerous inhabitants of the sea, however, in the waters of the Caribbean there are some species that can cause severe skin irritation in a swimmer upon contact with them. It is believed that the pain can be relieved with a weak solution of vinegar, but the unpleasant effects from contact with the sponge can last for several days. These primitive animals belong to the genus Fibula and are often referred to as touchy sponges.

Sea snakes (Hydrophidae)

Little is known about sea snakes. This is strange, since they live in all the seas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans and are not among the rare inhabitants of the deep sea. Maybe it's because people just don't want to deal with them.

And there are serious reasons for this. After all, sea snakes are dangerous and unpredictable.

There are about 48 species of sea snakes. This family once left the land and completely switched to an aquatic lifestyle. Because of this, sea snakes have acquired some features in the structure of the body, and outwardly they are somewhat different from their terrestrial counterparts. The body is flattened from the sides, the tail is in the form of a flat ribbon (for flat-tailed representatives) or slightly elongated (for dovetails). The nostrils are not located on the sides, but at the top, so it is more convenient for them to breathe, sticking the tip of the muzzle out of the water. The lung stretches throughout the body, but these snakes absorb up to a third of all oxygen from the water with the help of the skin, which is densely penetrated by blood capillaries. Under water, a sea snake can stay for more than an hour.

The venom of a sea snake is dangerous to humans. Their poison is dominated by an enzyme that paralyzes the nervous system. When attacking, the snake quickly strikes with two short teeth, slightly bent back. The bite is almost painless, there is no swelling or hemorrhage.

But after some time, weakness appears, coordination is disturbed, convulsions begin. Death occurs from paralysis of the lungs in a few hours.

The high toxicity of the venom of these snakes is a direct result of aquatic habitation: in order for the prey not to run away, it must be instantly paralyzed. True, the poison of sea snakes is not as dangerous as the poison of snakes that live with us on land. When bitten by flattails, 1 mg of poison is released, and when bitten by a dovetail, 16 mg. So, a person has a chance to survive. Of the 10 bitten by sea snakes, 7 people remain alive, of course, if they receive medical assistance on time.

True, there is no guarantee that you will be among the latter.

If you are interested in more detailed information about dangerous species of jellyfish and corals, you can find it at http://medusy.ru/