clipped from: www.telegraph.co.uk   

Killer jellyfish population explosion warning

Box jellyfish and a diver holding a jellyfish

A perfect toxin-loaded killing machine, there is no creature on earth that can dispatch a human being so easily or so quickly.

Box jellyfish

The box jellyfish is so packed with venom that the briefest of touches can bring agonising death within 180 seconds.

The jellyfish have a formidable array of genetic equipment to help them survive:

  • Four brains that operate competitively in the search for food.

  • A highly complex sensory capacity and the ability to distinguish colour.

  • The ability to live in inhospitable waters at a depth of up to 10,900 metres.

  • A total of 24 eyes with moveable pupils giving them 360-degree visibility.

  • Box jellyfish have 6-8ft long tentacles. Just 5-6ft across the body is enough to kill a human in 180 seconds.

  • Venom is released on contact - even after it is dead - and each creature has 4000,000,000 venomous fibres.