On July 22, 2010, Mitch Marconi reported that a dead 100-foot long Lion's Mane Jellyfish stung over 150 people at Rye, New Hampshire, in the Wallis Sands State Park. How could a dead jellyfish cause so much pain?
The Lion's Mane Jellyfish and its Stingers
The Lion's Mane Jellyfish is the largest of the jellyfish species, although Lion's Mane Jellyfish specimens show considerable variation in size. The largest are usually found in the north Atlantic, where they may grow to about 8 feet wide, with tentacles over 100 feet long. The tentacles stream down from the eight lobes of the upper bell. Each lobe dangles sixty to over a hundred individual tentacles. The tentacles have stingers to stun prey. Smaller "oral" tentacles move food into the mouth.
The stingers may remain active and dangerous for several days after the death of the jellyfish. Since the tentacles look like clear "goo", the people on the beach did not see the danger. Tentacles caught in a fishing net are also hazardous.
The sting is not considered life-threatening, though an allergic reaction would definitely make the situation much more serious. A diver who swims into a cluster of tentacles would suffer worse consequences than someone touching only one stinger at the beach.
Symptoms of a sting from a Lion's Mane Jellyfish may range from itching, a rash, pain, blisters, and muscle cramps through difficulties with breathing and heart rate. From the incident at Rye, fewer than a dozen children were reported to receive hospital treatment.
The bell of the Lion's Mane Jellyfish ranges in color from red through orange to yellow; larger bells have deeper colors, and sometimes the upper tentacles share the hue. The scientific name is Cyanea capillata.
The Life and Death of a Lion's Mane Jellyfish
A larva of the Lion's Mane Jellyfish may survive the winter and begin feeding in earnest in the spring. Its first choice is plankton. The jellyfish grows rapidly in cold ocean waters, and also consumes fish and smaller jellyfish. They also reproduce in the spring.
From summer through autumn, the Lion's Mane Jellyfish grows to its greatest size. At this time, divers can easily spot these kings of the jellyfish swimming no deeper than 60 feet beneath the surface. One hunting technique is to pulse up to the surface, then gently sink. While sinking, the tentacles spread out and capture prey within a wide radius.
The adults do not survive the winter. It is not known whether this is due to a decrease in their food supply, or to an increase in the severity of waves due to winter storms.
Lion's Mane Jellyfish are reported in the New England coast of the United States, as well as Britain and Norway, southern Australia, and in cold Pacific waters.
An Elementary Situation
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote "The Adventure of the Lion's Mane", in which Sherlock Holmes determines that a mysterious death is due to the jellyfish's effect on a man with a heart condition.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.
References:
Mitch Marconi, in Post Chronicle.com, published July 22, 2010, referenced July 23, 2010.
Sudarsana Sinha and Nathan Dickerson, Jellyfish Facts.net, referenced July 23, 2010.
Jim Greenfield, Ocean Eye Photo.com, referenced July 23, 2010.
Scuba Travel.co.uk, referenced July 23, 2010.
Kåre Telnes, Seawater.no, referenced July 23, 2010.
Mike DeHaan - Copyright (c) Mike DeHaan, B. Math., of DeHaan Services. Well written and well researched freelance articles; ghost writing for clients.
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