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World Jellyfish Day is observed on November 3 to raise awareness about the importance of jellyfish in marine ecosystems.
World Jellyfish Day was established in 2014. (Image: Shutterstock)
Did you know that November 3 is marked as World Jellyfish Day? This day raises awareness about these fascinating marine creatures known for their umbrella-shaped bodies and trailing tentacles. Composed mostly of water and lacking bones, blood, or centralized brains, jellyfish play a unique and vital role in our oceans.
Conservationists often highlight their ecological significance and their promising potential in medical research. World Jellyfish Day offers a perfect opportunity to promote their conservation and protect their important place in marine ecosystems.
World Jellyfish Day 2024: History
World Jellyfish Day was established in 2014 by marine biologists to raise awareness of the vital role jellyfish play in marine ecosystems. Some reports suggest November 3 was chosen to honour Dr. Ernst Haeckel, a renowned German biologist, celebrated for his pioneering research on jellyfish and other marine life.
NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration celebrates the day by sharing remarkable footage from their expeditions, showcasing diverse species and their habitats in the midwater zones of the ocean.
World Jellyfish Day 2024: Significance
World Jellyfish Day plays a significant role in highlighting the ecological importance of jellyfish, whose various species are crucial for marine ecosystem stability.
Jellyfish occupy multiple positions within marine food webs: they serve as both predators and prey, helping regulate populations of smaller organisms like plankton while providing food for larger animals, including fish and sea turtles.
This balance is essential for healthy marine ecosystems.
The day also raises awareness about the benefits jellyfish offer to humans. They are studied for their unique proteins, such as green fluorescent protein (GFP), which is widely used in medical research and biotechnology.
Jellyfish are also considered a potential sustainable food source, given their abundance and nutritional value.
Furthermore, World Jellyfish Day sheds light on the environmental challenges jellyfish face, such as habitat loss and pollution, which threaten their populations and the ecosystems they support.
World Jellyfish Day: 10 Facts
- According to PETA, jellyfish are the oldest multi-organ animals on the planet as their fossils date back at least 500 million years. This means they existed hundreds of millions of years before the dinosaurs.
- Jellyfish are composed of 95% water and the remaining 5% is made up of structural proteins, muscle tissue and nerve cells.
- They have six main body parts: epidermis, gastrodermis, mesoglea, gastrovascular cavity, mouth, and tentacles.
- A jellyfish has a single opening that is used as its mouth for eating, expelling waste and propelling itself by releasing water.
- Jellyfish are omnivores.
- Some jellyfish can glow in the dark. Those with bioluminescent organs emit blue or green light when touched.
- According to the Marine Conservation Society, smaller jellyfish species may only live for a few hours, while larger ones, like the lion’s mane jellyfish, can survive for up to two years.
- Certain jellyfish have the ability to biologically reverse their ageing process.
- In 1870, a gigantic jellyfish species known as Hair Jelly was discovered washed ashore in Massachusetts, USA. Its tentacles measured over 120 feet in length, longer than those of a blue whale.
- Jellyfish are regarded as a delicacy in some cultures and are also utilised in traditional Chinese medicine.
