Zoologist Jamie Seymour said computer modelling allowed researchers to predict when the jellyfish would be active in Australian waters from Gladstone on Queensland's central coast to Exmouth in north-west Western Australia. Sting from the box jellyfish, Chironex fleckeri, can kill a healthy adult in two minutes and although antivenenes were available the time factor was critical, he said. The box jellyfish has been responsible for up to 80 deaths in north Australian waters in the past 100 years, Dr Seymour said. Dr Seymour said the box jellyfish carried millions of stinging needles on its tentacles, which can number up to 70 and be up to three metres long. He said unlike other jellyfish which rely on currents to move, the box jellyfish swims at up to three knots, has eyes, and eats fish its own size.
People are stung when they blunder into a passing jellyfish.
The jellyfish is pale blue and transparent and very difficult to see in the water despite its 25cm body, he said. We welcome your comments on our stories. If this issue arouses interest, we will publish our readers' views. Fill in the form below and click on the submit button. You need to register to search.