See this little guy? This is an Irukandji jellyfish. This little guy is no bigger than 1–2 cm around the bell and so fragile that in captivity, it needs to be kept in round tanks with water current running along the border of the tank to keep it from hitting the glass and dying. It’s also pretty transparent which makes it hard to see underwater. Why would you need to see it underwater? Because this little guy is one of the most venomous creatures on the planet. Its venom makes that of cobras and tarantulas sound like cough syrups: 100 times more potent than a cobra and 1,000 times more potent than a tarantula. Its venom is so potent there is a syndrome named after it: Irukandji syndrome
In 1964 Jack Barnes confirmed the cause of the syndrome was a sting from a small box jellyfish: the Irukandji jellyfish. To prove that the jellyfish was the cause of the syndrome, he captured one and deliberately stung himself while his son Nick and a local lifeguard observed the resulting symptoms, before being rushed to the ICU.
On the television program “Super Animal”, a woman compared her experience with Irukandji syndrome to the pain of childbirth.
These venomous creatures send 60 to 100 people to the hospital every year. And they live off the coast of, you guessed it, Australia.
So the next time you go swimming in Australia, don’t look out for salties, look out for these little baddies.