Stop hating jellyfish
June 23, 2020 10:32 AM   Subscribe

Jellyfish are not a mindless menace. They are not an angry invading hoard. They are part of the ocean landscape. They provide food and safety for countless organisms. Our perception of jellyfish as war-mongering hoards poised to take over the oceans is in stark contrast to the boom-and-bust biology of their natural life cycle. We are not paying enough attention to the economically and ecologically valuable role of jellyfish in the world’s oceans. To counter the risks we’ve caused, we need first to rethink the tarnished image of the humble jellyfish. An essay from marine biologist Rebecca Helm in The Correspondent.
posted by Bella Donna (26 comments total) 17 users marked this as a favorite
 
Weirdly I have a book for this: Spineless, by Juli Berwald- also about how we should respect the jellyfish more! Great post!
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 10:38 AM on June 23, 2020 [2 favorites]


The second video, where the jackfish hijacks the jelly, is also amazing.
posted by jeather at 10:39 AM on June 23, 2020 [1 favorite]


I mean, it's not like I ascribe agency to jellyfish, but they're still nasty little fuckers. They're chaotic-neutral forces of nature, who will totally ruin your day if you get close enough to them--kind of like their close cousins, geese and hornets.

I have no doubt that everything in this article is true, and that we're committing ecological suicide by wiping out parts of the food chain that we don't understand, but my visceral reaction to jellyfish is never gonna be a positive one.
posted by Mayor West at 10:42 AM on June 23, 2020 [6 favorites]


I might be open to taking my relationship with jellyfish to the next level.
posted by StickyCarpet at 10:42 AM on June 23, 2020 [6 favorites]


erm, surely “horde”, not “hoard” right?
posted by progosk at 10:50 AM on June 23, 2020 [4 favorites]


Quick google didn't turn up the article but several years ago in a harbor (Japan?) massively infested, the good port city folks went out and killed all the jellyfish. Ok fine, one harbor. Turns out when killed the poor jelly thing drops it's large egg sack to the bottom of the ocean. Next cycle, exponential jellyfish in the harbor. Ecology is hard.

So we just need to introduce jellyfish predators...
posted by sammyo at 10:51 AM on June 23, 2020 [2 favorites]


"They're chaotic-neutral forces of nature, who will totally ruin your day if you get close enough to them"
Unsurprisingly, that's what most of the other lifeforms on this planet think about us.

The Future Ecologies podcast has an episode entitled Meet Your Jellyfish Overlords that explores a number of jellyfish species.
posted by kmkrebs at 10:53 AM on June 23, 2020 [2 favorites]


muhammad ali: float like a butterfly
jellyfish: done
muhammad ali: sting like a bee
jellyfish: i am nailing this
-@randypaint
posted by jeather at 11:01 AM on June 23, 2020 [27 favorites]


Who wants my jellyfish?
I'm not sellyfish!
      -- Ogden Nash
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:02 AM on June 23, 2020 [1 favorite]


progosk, yup. Yikes. There are a lot of typos in that piece but I posted it anyway because I needed to cheer up after reading a bunch of especially disheartening BS on Google news today. sammyo did you miss the part about jellyfish being the only critter that is literally shredded by machines and no one seems to care? Also, I won't bother to link but history suggests that attempting to introduce predators against menace X is a sucker's game.
posted by Bella Donna at 11:13 AM on June 23, 2020


No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.
posted by Segundus at 11:17 AM on June 23, 2020 [4 favorites]


So apparently my feelings about jellyfish are entirely formed by the jellyfish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the jellyfish at the Steinhart Aquarium because I hear "jellyfish" and I just thing "what lovely, dreamy, beautiful creatures."

I am appalled to learn that so many people hate them so much. They're being killed by machines? This is terrible.

I love jellyfish.

(Especially when they can't actually reach out and sting you.)

Thank you for posting this, Bella Donna. I am ... dismayed and enlightened.
posted by kristi at 11:48 AM on June 23, 2020 [7 favorites]


The load of serene bastards....
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:50 PM on June 23, 2020 [2 favorites]


My feelings about jellyfish are based on the many times I've been stung by them. They are beautiful, wondrous creatures so long as I am nowhere near them when in the water. And a special middle finger to detached floating stingers that still sting but are impossible to see.
posted by grumpybear69 at 1:08 PM on June 23, 2020 [4 favorites]


That big aquarium in CA, I think it was Monterey, did an exhibit of jellyfish where they were displayed in small living groups, in aquariums that were kind of minimalist stages with solid color backgrounds, colored edge lighting, etc. Very nicely designed.

Astoundingly beautiful. So I did ask the staff, what is involved in an a display like this? Aside from the whole saltwater thing, there can be no corners or edges in the enclosures or the jellyfish will get bunched up there. They said it was kind of tricky and that they released and replaced them frequently.

I'd settle for a nice high-res screen saver kind of thing. But the way they showed the jellyfish was just breathtaking to watch. Spent several hours in front of those aquariums.
posted by StickyCarpet at 1:34 PM on June 23, 2020 [3 favorites]


Add an extra finger to the scarred and marred flesh they leave once they've stung you, grumpbear69, and I'm right there with you.
posted by sardonyx at 1:35 PM on June 23, 2020 [1 favorite]


Our perception of jellyfish as war-mongering hoards poised to take over the oceans...

Wut?
posted by SoberHighland at 2:49 PM on June 23, 2020


I almost hate that I can't hate them. They have as much malice as snow flying off the car in front of you and into the road. Sharks are at least thinking about whether to bite you, even though they're not thinking much. Jellyfish are sometimes not even alive by their own standards when they sting you. They're just torn-up stingers floating around waiting to ruin your day. And invisible, too.
posted by Countess Elena at 2:56 PM on June 23, 2020 [2 favorites]


Oh I love jellyfish! Was at 1 point my top #1 very most favorite animal. I was stung by a Sea Nettle (Chrysaora quinquecirrha) as a kid, maybe around 12 or so years old. It was extremely painful, but it was also my fault, I was gesticulating and smacked my whole arm right into it. We were very far from shore (my dad like to take us out far because we were good swimmers and it was just the bay, but we were really proud of ourselves). My dad had to basically carry me back to shore, I was inconsolable. They're still wonderful!
posted by FirstMateKate at 3:09 PM on June 23, 2020 [4 favorites]


I mean, it's not like I ascribe agency to jellyfish, but they're still nasty little fuckers. They're chaotic-neutral forces of nature, who will totally ruin your day if you get close enough to them--kind of like their close cousins, geese and hornets.

All things dull and ugly
All creatures short and squat
All things rude and nasty
The Lord God made the lot

Each little snake that poisons
Each little wasp that stings
He made their brutish venom
He made their horrid wings

posted by murphy slaw at 3:46 PM on June 23, 2020 [8 favorites]


The jellyfish lifecycle is a wonder of nature, with two distinct larval stages and sessile polyps that bud off clones. Just remarkable.
posted by sjswitzer at 5:25 PM on June 23, 2020 [4 favorites]


The inspiration for driftnets, I shouldn't wonder.
posted by jamjam at 6:22 PM on June 23, 2020


Medusozoa!
posted by aspersioncast at 8:37 PM on June 23, 2020 [1 favorite]


I've got no problems with spiders or any of the other common creepy-crawlies, but there's something about jellyfish for me. I've never been stung. I think 100% of my jellyfish experience is with moon jellies that *can't* sting me.

They're really quite beautiful creatures; I just hate the idea of one touching me.

A very interesting article.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 9:51 PM on June 23, 2020


Jellyfish have been floating around planet Earth for over 500,000,000 years. Evolution is great, I guess, but let's respect, acknowledge, and potentially revere these creatures that have been chillin' for half a billion years. There's got to be some ancient wisdom there.
posted by nikoniko at 11:07 PM on June 23, 2020 [8 favorites]


[god creating jellyfish]

how bout an evil bag
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 5:55 AM on June 24, 2020 [3 favorites]


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