![]() The Australian variety has a body size that can reach up to one foot in diameter and tentacles that can grow up to 10 feet long. There are around 50 species of box jellyfish, but only a few contain venom that can prove lethal to people – including the Australian box jellyfish, Chironex fleckeri, which is considered to be the most venomous marine animal, according to the National Ocean Service. Named after their body shape, box jellyfish have tentacles covered in small, poison loaded darts, known as nematocysts. 'Massive' coral reef taller than the Empire State Building discovered in Australia "If you see that on the beach, that's the highest risk factor we know," she said.RV Falkor holding position on the outside of Ribbon Reef # 5 as ROV SuBastian works its way up the shelf to reveal for the first time ever the origins of the Great Barrier Reef. "And look out for clusters of what looks like crushed glass or ice at the high tide line … they're salps or weird jellyfish creatures that hang out with irukandji. "I swim in Keppel Bay every year … there is only a slim chance of running into a box jellyfish there, but I wouldn't swim unprotected in that area."ĭr Gershwin recommended a full-body lycra stinger suit which fitted snug against the skin. ![]() "Time to death, the box jelly beats everything hands down," Dr Gershwin said. "They're very delicate with very specific requirements, so in order to thrive in a different area, they would need their whole habitat to migrate with them."Ī much greater problem is the better known and much more dangerous box jellyfish.Īustralia has only had two confirmed deaths from irukandji and though the real figure could be higher, there have been 71 cases of death from box jellyfish sting. "Irukandji are more like orchids than cane toads. "No reports of finding breeding sites have turned out to be true," Dr Gershwin said. it stops the syndrome in its tracks, just like that … boom, it stops the pain, everything."Īs yet, scientists don't know where the irukandji live most of the time, or where they breed. "For the more severe, it's almost magic," she said. Time to death, the box jelly beats everything hands down "The remarkable thing is that magnesium infusion is a long-established, very safe and inexpensive treatment," Dr Corkeron said.ĭr Gershwin said the treatment was absolutely remarkable, though not suited to every species. The increase in blood pressure may be life-threatening and can be associated with abnormal heart beat and heart failure.ĭr Michael Corkeron, of the Townsville Hospital Intensive Care Unit, successfully treated patients stung by irukandji with magnesium infusions, delivered by intravenous drip. The initial sting is typically mild, followed by vomiting, profuse sweating, headache, agitation, rapid heart rate and high blood pressure. It's just completely unusual," she said.Įvery summer more than 60 people are hospitalised with irukandji syndrome, but unlike the box jellyfish, which can cause death in a healthy adult in minutes, the irukandji can take days before its effects are fully felt. It's an educated guess, but that is what makes the most sense. "I haven't been up to Fraser to take samples. ![]() There has been no fatality from an irukandji in Central Queensland waters and although the chances are very small, Dr Gershwin said she would always wear a stinger suit if she was in Keppel Bay during stinger season. In 1957, a 10-year-old boy was fatally stung by a box jellyfish off Bluff Beach, Yeppoon, and 30 years later a five-year-old boy died after being stung off Gladstone. "The box jellyfish is a much bigger threat," she said. It's a highly unusual situation and, according to experts, very unlikely to happen in Keppel Bay.ĭespite the cluster of stings, experts say most people wouldn't die from an irukandji sting and the box jelly fish remains a much greater threat.ĭr Lisa-ann Gershwin, director of the Australian Marine Stinger Advisory Service and Australia's only dedicated box jellyfish expert, said the chances of being stung by irukandji were low. Six people, including three children, have been hospitalised since the New Year after being stung by irukandji off Fraser Island. WITH venom 100 times more potent than a cobra and 1000 times more potent than a tarantula, the irukandji jellyfish is believed to be the most venomous creature in the world. ![]()
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