Irukandji jellyfish

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The Irukandji jellyfish ( IRR-ə-KAN-jee) are any of several similar, extremely venomous species of rare box jellyfish. With a very small adult size of about a cubic centimetre (1 cm3 or 0.061 in3), they are both one of the smallest and one of the most venomous jellyfish in the world. They inhabit the northern marine waters of Australia, and cost governments, predominantly those in north-eastern Australia, $AUD 3 million annually through tourism losses and medical costs associated with stings. This type of jellyfish reproduces sexually with eggs and sperm. They fire their stingers into their victim, causing a condition known in humans as Irukandji syndrome, which can be fatal and difficult to immediately recognise due to the delayed effects of the venom. There are about 16 known species of Irukandji, of which Carukia barnesi, Malo kingi, Malo maxima, Malo filipina and Malo bella are the best known. Irukandji syndrome was named in 1952 by Hugo Flecker, who first described the symptoms of...

Read on Wikipedia · Image GondwanaGirl 04:29, 6 January 2009 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0