A major sting from venomous box jellyfish tentacles can cause cardiac arrest within minutes.
Box jellyfish are among nature's most quietly dangerous sea creatures. Some species of the ephemeral, translucent jellyfish can deliver potent stings. The venom can be fatal to humans, making them a dangerous hazard on popular Hawaii beaches. Since the 1980s, the box jellyfish popular has boomed, and they've occasionally washed ashore in such alarming numbers that Hawaii officials have closed beaches as a precaution.
The University of Hawaii study began over a decade ago in an attempt to discover why these mass beachings have become more frequent off Honolulu."From 1994 to the present, the once sporadic aggregations and beachings have now occurred every lunar cycle for at least 2 days during the period of 8–12 days after each full moon," the study found.The reason for the increase, researchers say, is that the total number of box jellyfish has grown dramatically over the last decade.
The study also posits that human-driven decreases in the population of sea turtles and fish may also be contributing to rising box jellyfish colonies.Most Popular