Jumpin' Jellyfish Trivia Quiz

Answer: all of these

"Jellies" seems a most appropriate name for these animals since their body mass can be up to 98% water (the other substances are proteins and minerals). With the exception of the so-called "freshwater jellyfish" (Craspedacusta sowerbii), the name "sea jellies" makes sense since jellyfish live in salt water. The common term "Medusa" is also the name given to the adult stage in their growth cycle (the form most of us are familiar with: umbrella-like body with tentacles beneath).

Answer: False

All jellyfish can sting, but not all are poisonous to an animal as large as a human. For instance, moon jelly stings cannot harm you unless you happen to be highly allergic to their toxin. Some jellyfish use their "mini harpoons" merely to grip their prey. However, the sting of many types of jellyfish is extremely painful and swimmers can go into shock, convulsions or heart arrest and will drown - poison or no poison. Never touch a jellyfish that has washed up on a beach, as the nematocyst (stinging cell) can still be released upon contact even though the creature itself is dead.

Answer: none of these

Jellyfish do not have a central nervous system and therefore do not have a brain. They have a "net" of interconnected primitive nerve cells and chemosensors that enable them to have very simple reactions related to taste, smell, touch and balance. They cannot visualize objects since, with the exception of the box jellies, they have no eyes, but have light receptors which scientists believe let them know what direction the light is coming from. Box jellyfish have "complex" eyes containing all the same parts as a human eye, but since they have no brains to process the information coming from the eye, it is unknown what they may or may not "see". Jellyfish do not have a circulatory system so they have no heart or blood.

As they have no lungs, no gills are present either. Jellyfish do not "breathe" as we know it.

Their outer skin is thin enough that oxygen passes freely in and out of their bodies.

Answer: Arctic Lion's Mane jellyfish

Not only does the Arctic lion's mane jellyfish have tentacles that average approximately 100 feet long, but a creature of this species was the largest jelly ever found, weighing in at a remarkable 450 pounds. Its actual body weight (alive) was probably more, but this specimen was found washed up on shore. Not to worry though, very few people swim in the Arctic Ocean or in extremely deep waters by choice! The diet of the Arctic lion's mane jelly consists of zooplankton and other jellyfish (so much for "familial" ties).

Answer: all of these

While a "smack" is the most popular name for a group of jellies, the other valid terms are: smuck, fluther, bloom, smuth, swarm or brood. Nobody seems to know the origin of these names in relation to jellyfish. Personally I'd like to add the word "splat", as it seems succinctly more sickly slimy and sticky than "smack" sounds (I think my grade school English teacher just rolled in her grave for that alliteration attempt lol). And sheesh, poor jellies, how would you like to go through life known as a gang member of the "Smucks"???

Answer: jet propulsion

Hydromedusan jellies can contract the muscular tissue around the rim of the "bell" to expel water in order to propel themselves in a forward direction. There are also some jellies which have a "sail-like" appendage which allows them to tack with the wind. Somersaulting is a type of escape movement used by creatures such as sea anemones. Jelly tentacles are not strong enough to be used for "swimming" purposes. The backstroke, of course, would be just silly.

Answer: all of these

All of these belong to the phylum Cnidaria, a group of marine creatures which are radially symmetrical. There are four classes in this phylum: 1) Scyphozoa (the True Jellyfish) - Moon Jellies, Mediterranean Jellyfish, Sea Nettles, Lion's Mane Jellyfish, Blue Jellies and a few others, 2) Cubozoa (not true jellyfish) which includes about 20 species, the most "infamous" being the Box Jellyfish (or Sea Wasps) and the Australian Irukandji, 3) Hydrozoa which includes hydras and the Portugese Man o' War and 4) Anthozoa - sea fans, true corals, sea pens and sea anemones.

Answer: Yes

Jellyfish are considered a delicacy in the Far East. Dried (with salt and tentacles removed), they are rich in protein, have almost no carbs, are very low in calories and contain negligible amounts of fat. They sound like they could be the next "craze" for losing weight, but considering how much of their body mass is water, I think you'd need an awful lot of them to make a full meal deal.

Answer: one

True jellyfish have no excretory system per se. Therefore, the "mouth" also serves as the "anus". Food is ingested and digested through the "mouth" and waste material is released through the same opening. Ewww.

Answer: Sea turtles

The main predator of jellyfish, besides sunfish, is the sea turtle (loggerheads and leatherbacks). This is why pollution in the form of plastic bags and pop bottle rings is so dangerous to them (as well as to many other animals). Turtles mistake the clear or opaque plastic for jellyfish and end up dying from either strangulation or intestinal blockage.