Underwater animals - Nomura's jellyfish
Underwater animals and the entire ocean represent a unique world with its specific forms, colors, shades, structures and behaviors. Maybe, it is this difference and uniqueness, which inspires photographers to take pictures of underwater life. Indeed, sometimes underwater world offers really incredible subjects for photography, which agitate imagination and remind us about the peerless creativity of the Nature and perfection of the world, we live in.
Nomura's jellyfish is a very large rhizostomae jellyfish, in the same size class as the lion's mane jellyfish, the largest cnidarian in the world. It is edible but not considered high quality. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Nemopilema.
The diameter when fully grown is slightly greater than the height of an average man. The species was named in tribute to Mr. Kan'ichi Nomura (C18–C19), Director General of the Fukui Prefectural Fisheries Experimental Station, who in early December 1921 sent a specimen in a 72-litre wooden tank to Professor Kishinouye, who found that it was unknown and spent some time at the station to study living specimens.
Growing up to 2 m (6.6 ft) in diameter and weighing up to 200 kg (440 lb), Nomura's jellyfish reside primarily in the waters between China and Japan, primarily centralized in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. Population blooms appear to be increasing with frequency in the past 20 years.] Possible reasons for the population increase in Nomura's Jellyfish include climate change, overfishing, and coastal modification adding substrate for asexually producing polyps.
In 2009, a 10-tonne (11 ton) fishing trawler, the Diasan Shinsho-maru, capsized off Chiba on Tokyo Bay as its three-man crew tried to haul in a net containing dozens of Nomura's jellyfish; the three were rescued by another trawler.
Life cycle
The life cycle of Nemopilema nomurai is very similar to that of other rhizostomes. Nomura’s jellyfish are normally found in the Yellow Sea and populations are generally maintained there year round. During June and July changes in the water salinity lead to the expatriation of larval stage jellyfish via the Tsushima strait. In 2005 the largest blooms were in late October. It is noted that this species of jellyfish in six months can grow from the size of a grain of rice to greater than 6 feet wide.
Ecology
While jellyfish blooms have been documented in the Sea of Japan since the writing of their first history book, the blooms of Nemopilema nomurai have been more recent. Since the beginning of the 20th century the instances of N. nomurai explosive blooms have been on the increase, a fact not helped by their size – being one of the largest species of jellyfish recorded.
This species of jellyfish feeds mostly on zooplankton in all stages of life, feeding on larger fish as they grow larger. Their only predators consist of swordfish, tuna, sunfish, leatherback turtles and humans.
Uses
Since the recent increase in blooms, research has been underway to find uses for the Nomura’s jellyfish. Each year this species costs Japanese fisheries serious damage and so an economic solution may be found in converting this invasion into a resource.
View The 12 BIGGEST Jellyfish :
These are the 12 biggest jellyfish in the sea! From the giant Lion's Mane is practically a monster to the massive Normura jellyfish!
# 11 Purple-striped Jelly
The Purple-striped Jelly is a species of jellyfish that exists primarily off the coast of California in Monterey Bay. The bell of the Purple-Striped Jelly has on average a 2.3-foot diameter. Very little is known about this creature, but it has been found that young Cancer crabs will find shelter inside the Jellyfish and eat parasitic amphipods that damage their host. They also have a toxic sting that can paralyze prey but will only be extremely painful to a human.
# 10 Black Sea Nettle
The Black Sea Nettle was the largest invertebrate to be described in the 20th century, with a 3-foot long bell and 20 foot long tentacles. They’re called Black Sea Nettles because of their notable dark bell colors, which is unusual for jellyfish that swim so close to the shore. While they’re large and have distinctive colors but were not officially described until the late ‘90s. They are sort of elusive, only appearing once every few years along the West Coast of America, but when they do appear they appear in large blooms.
# 9 Pacific Sea Nettle
The Pacific Sea Nettle is a type of jellyfish you are probably familiar with; they’re popular tank fillers for aquariums and zoos because of their distinctive color patterns.They have 24 tentacles that can be as long as 15 feet. Despite their irritating sting to humans, they make popular pets because they can thrive in captive conditions and even breed.
# 8 Floating Bell
The Floating Bell is a species of Jellyfish native to the West Pacific, anywhere in the area from Australia to Japan. They are also known by the names Australian Spotted Jellyfish or White-spotted Jellyfish. They generally only have bells of 20 inches in diameter, but in October 2007, a specimen of the white-spotted jellyfish was found that had a bell measuring 28 inches wide. That may be the largest bell ever recorded.
# 7 Sea Nettle
The Atlantic Sea Nettle is a symmetrical and carnivorous member of the jellyfish family. Its bell grows to only approximately 17.7 inches in diameter, while it’s tentacles will trail 12 to 15 feet behind it. It also uses these long tentacles to capture food and slowly digest them as food. If you somehow come across one of these, be very cautious as the sting from their tentacles has been rated somewhere in between moderate to severe. While the toxin is enough to kill small prey, it is not fatal to humans. It’s just really painful.
# 6 Tiburonia Granrojo
The Tiburonia granrojo or the “big red” jellyfish lives in the depths of the ocean, around 2000-4000 feet in the deep sea. Unlike most other jellyfish, the big red does not have tentacles but instead four to seven feeding arms. Its bell can grow up to 3 feet in diameter.
# 5 Stygiomedusa Gigantea
These huge jellyfish are so elusive they’re almost a cryptid creature. The Stygiomedusa Gigantea have been spotted only a few times within the last few hundred years. They have four dangling tentacles with an undetermined use. However, we do know that they live in the deep waters of the Pacific, around 1300 meters below the surface and that they are at least 6 feet long.
# 4 Pink Meanie
In November of 2000, a new species of Jellyfish were found along the Gulf of Mexico. They have been nicknamed Pink Meanies, for their coloration and tendency to attack other jellyfish. In fact, they have been documented eating up to 34 jellyfish at the same time. They have tentacles up to 70 feet long and can weigh upward of 50 pounds.
# 3 Nomura’s Jellyfish
This jellyfish is found primarily around Asia, specifically around the coasts of Japan. Nomura’s Jellyfish can weigh up to 450 pounds, easily making it one of the biggest jellyfish in the world. Every once in awhile a Nomura Bloom will occur, something that happens when the conditions are perfect, creating an influx of Nomura Jellyfish that tangle up fishermen’s nets.
# 2 Lion’s Mane Jellyfish
The Lion’s Mane Jellyfish is among one of the largest invertebrates in the ocean. The Lion’s Mane has been found to grow up to 120 feet long, longer than the largest blue whale which was recorded to be 108 feet long. In the summer of 2010, over 100 swimmers were stung on the coast of New Hampshire, all of whom were probably stung by the same gigantic, 40-pound Lion’s Mane.
# 1 Barrel Jellyfish
The Barrel Jellyfish is the largest species found in southwest England. Although the Barrel Jellyfish is on average, a whopping 5 feet long and 3 feet wide, it does not pose a threat to humans. The jellyfish swarmed the UK in record numbers back in 2015, arriving in flocks of at least one hundred.
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