Jellyfish
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Technically, jellyfish get classified as Cnidarians, a group of animals often distinguished by their stinging ability.
They are also carnivores and their long tenacles contain a toxic substance meant to paralyze their prey.
While most jellyfish sting, not all jellyfish stings are deadly to humans, most stings are merely annoying.
An unusually large number of jellyfish is called a jellyfish bloom. In the past decade, coastal areas around the world have reported increasing numbers of jellyfish blooms.
Scientists are testing a variety of hypotheses related to their cause.
A recent article in Natural History Magazine, hypothesizes increases in jellyfish populations as a result in declining fish populations.
The reasoning starts with the assumption that many jellyfish species share a similar diet with fish. As an area becomes overfished, the jellyfish move in to feed on the smaller fish and plankton still remaining.
© 2007-2008. Patricia A. Michaels