Jellyfish are beautiful creatures that are in abundance in the oceans and seas around the world, and have been for over 650 million years.

But jellyfish are not fish at all.

In fact, jellyfish are considered plankton (typically thought to be almost microscopic) because they cannot swim against a current.

Nor are jellyfish hunted as prey, which could be why they have been around for so long and show no intention of going extinct. Jellyfish eat small fish and plankton, but their prey comes to them. The jellyfish will open and close its bell (head) where the mouth is and create a current. It is the current that draws the prey to the jellyfish.

The jellyfish has very long tentacles, which when rubbed against prey releases several tiny stingers that poison the prey, which can then be eaten. But because jellyfish have no brains, it doesn’t know how to distinguish prey from rocks from humans, and so on. Anything that the jellyfish’s tentacles touch will be sprayed with poisonous stingers.

However, most are not deadly, or even toxic enough to cause illness to humans, but they will cause pain.

A few jellyfish, though, are very poisonous to humans and their stings can be fatal.

Some humans are allergic to jellyfish stings, too, which can be as dangerous as a fatal sting, even if they are stung by a jellyfish that does not extract poison that is typically toxic to humans.

How to treat a jellyfish sting

Different types of jellyfish stings require different treatments.

To treat a jellyfish sting it is best to call for a lifeguard to determine the type of jellyfish that stung you.

• Usually vinegar is recommended to be applied to a jellyfish sting.
• The stingers will need to be removed as well.
• And then a paste of baking soda and water is recommended to draw out the remainder of stingers and poison.
• Ice or heat can ease the pain, and antihistamines can prevent excessive swelling and rashes that can result from a jellyfish sting.

However, while jellyfish don’t school like fish do, they will tend to be gathered in some areas since they go where the current takes them.

If you are at the beach, look for warning signs that will be posted if there is a high concentration of jellyfish in an area. If you still aren’t sure, ask a lifeguard or a local what to expect in the water.

Don’t think you can look at the water and tell if there are jellyfish because many are so transparent that you can’t even see them – until it’s too late.

Jellyfish will also wash up on the beaches. Leave them alone if you find them, their stingers will still work as long as they, or you, are wet. As beautiful as jellyfish are, they are best observed in professional aquariums where they are safe, and so are you.