Sunday, July 03, 2005

Nothings Shocking

While laying on my lawn with my cat, enjoying the perfection of a summer day, I observed how much life was in the air just above the ground. Grasshoppers, mosquitoes, pollen, and all of those seeds from plants that float on the air. Dragonfly's, butterfly's, and winged things that I can't even name. So much traffic going every which way. Some of it was landing on me looking for it's next meal. The blood sucking insects kept me busy swatting in self defense and also made me appreciate something that I had never thought of before.
What if jellyfish could fly?
Can you imagine if they were filled with a lighter than air gas (like helium) that would enable them to float on the air? Living dirigibles of death! Visualize a floating Man of War with silky electric tentacles drifting into you as you sun bathe in your yard, getting caught in your hair and sticking to your skin!
On one hand, they would be a wondrous sight to see. Imagine the luminescent ones glowing in the night like alien angels. Beautiful, but deadly.
Having pondered that, I feel fortunate now. All I have to worry about are the mosquito's and black flies. That's not too bad.
Therefore, the next time you find yourself running from a harmless bee or swatting an annoying fly, pause for a second to put things into perspective. It could be alot worse, but it's not.
Jellyfish can't fly!

1 comment:

jim dandy said...

It's only a matter of time! They're Evolving!

Red Light-Flashing Jellyfish Lures Prey --- Associated Press ---
Thu Jul 7, 9:23 PM ET



— Glowing appendages on a newly discovered jellyfish relative — appear to flash their come-hither message to lure prey.

Jellyfish and other types of sea creatures are known to produce light, but this is the first deep ocean invertebrate known to use red fluorescent light, said Steven H. D. Haddock of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing, Calif.

Three of the animals were found by scientists using a remote controlled research vehicle at depths of between 5,200 feet and 7,500 feet off the coast of California. The discovery is reported in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

The new find is a previously unreported species in the genus Erenna, which is a member of the group that includes coral and jellyfish.

The animal, which has not yet been named, has tentacles with side branches that consist of stinging cells attached to a central stalk.

The researchers said that inside the stalk are spots that produce blue-green light when immature and red light when mature.