marion'spics
Washed up Jelly Fish
Posted by Marion (Nanaimo, BC, Canada) on 5 October 2008 in Animal & Insect and Portfolio.
Earlier this week we took a walk along the beach and it was strewn with dead jellyfish. Most were red and varied in shapes and sizes. Kind of gross.
Jellyfish are not fish at all. They are invertebrates, relatives of corals and sea anemones (uh-NEH-muh-neez). A jelly has no head, brain, heart, eyes, nor ears. It has no bones, either. But that's no problem! To capture prey for food, jellies have a net of tentacles that contain poisonous, stinging cells. When the tentacles brush against prey (or, say, a person's leg), thousands of tiny stinging cells explode, launching barbed stingers and poison into the victim.
Where there's water—from icy polar seas to tropical Pacific shores—there are jellies. Scientists estimate there may be 2,000 species of jellyfish.
Back from our four day adventure on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. Most days were bright and beautiful. I hope you enjoy my pictures.
Canon PowerShot SD900
1/640 second
F/2.8
8 mm