Australian box jellyfish
The Australian box jellyfish is one of the most venomous animals in the world. It lives in the warm coastal waters of northern Australia and nearby parts of Southeast Asia. Its sting can cause extreme pain and can be deadly, so it is important to know how to recognise it and what to do.1

Com reconèixer-lo
- The bell is box-shaped and pale blue, with faint markings.1
- The bell is usually about 16 cm across and can reach 35 cm.1
- A cluster of 15 tentacles hangs from each of the four corners of the bell.1
- It is almost completely transparent, so it is very hard to see in the water.1
- When hunting, its tentacles can stretch to about 3 m long.1
Poder del verí
Milers de cèl·lules urticants petitones es disparen quan alguna cosa les toca.
Què fa el seu verí?
Its venom makes cells porous, so potassium leaks out of them. This causes hyperkalemia, a dangerous build-up of potassium in the blood, which can lead to heart and circulation failure. Stings cause excruciating pain and a burning feeling, and an untreated victim can die within two to five minutes.1
Com de perillós és per a les persones?
Perill per a les persones: MortalUn dels animals més perillosos del món.At least 64 deaths have been recorded in Australia. Most deaths in recent decades have been children, because their smaller bodies are at higher risk. Most stings are mild, but one animal's venom is said to be enough to kill 60 adults.1
Bona notícia: els metges tenen un medicament (l'antiverí) o un tractament per a això.1
Si pica
- Diluted acetic acid, such as vinegar, is the recommended treatment, because it deactivates stinging cells that have not yet fired. Some North American toxicologists advise applying it for around 30 seconds. Pressure bandages are no longer recommended, because they can cause more stinging cells to fire.1
- Surt de l'aigua i treu els tentacles que quedin (amb guants o un drap).
- Per a les cubomeduses tropicals: tira vinagre sobre les picades durant almenys 30 segons, demana ajuda i prepara't per fer RCP. Per a les caravel·les portugueses i la majoria de les altres: esbandeix amb aigua de mar i després amb aigua calenta per al dolor.
Truca sempre primer al número d'emergències (112, 000, 911). Això són pautes generals de primers auxilis, no consells mèdics. Primers auxilis bàsics
Estigues segur
- No toquis, atrapis ni molestis mai un animal salvatge, encara que sigui petit i encara que sembli adormit o mort.
- Deixa-li espai. Si en trobes un, mantén la calma, recula a poc a poc i deixa que segueixi el seu camí.
- Si te'n pica un: mantén la calma, no et moguis, truca al número d'emergències (112, 000, 911) o ves de pressa a un hospital. Recorda com era, una foto ajuda.
No va a per tu. Fa servir el verí per caçar o per defensar-se, i prefereix mil vegades amagar-se. Més sobre com estar segur
On del món?
Que gran és?
Quant fa de llarg?
fa de llarg com 11 peces de construcció de joguina en fila
podria nedar la llargada d'una piscina gran (50 m) en 26 segonsQue gran és Australian box jellyfish comparat amb TU?
Només càlculs al teu navegador. No es desa ni s'envia res enlloc.
Com de ràpid va?
Dades
It has four clusters of eyes with 24 eyes in total, even though it has no central nervous system.1
Its tentacles are covered with millions of stinging cells that fire microscopic darts carrying venom.1
Its only known predators are green sea turtles and leatherback turtles, whose thick skin protects them from its stings.1
It is attracted to blue light, which makes it stream out its tentacles, while black objects make it move away.1
From certain angles, its pale blue bell looks like a human head or skull.1
Its name, 'hand of death', comes from its four appendages, which look like hands.1
Desmuntamites
Mite: Pressure bandages are the best first aid for a box jellyfish sting.
Veritat: Pressure bandages were used until 2005, but health authorities no longer recommend them because they can trigger more venom release. Diluted vinegar is the recommended treatment.1
Per a experts en verins
- Nom científic
- Chironex fleckeri
- Grup
- Meduses i altres urticants marins
- Família
- Chirodropidae2
- Ordre
- Chirodropida
- Continents
- Oceà Índic, Oceà Pacífic, Mar del Corall, Mar de la Xina Meridional, Mar de les Filipines, Mar de Timor i d'Arafura, Els oceans
- Cries
- It lays eggs, and fertilised eggs develop into tiny polyps that bud into new young jellyfish, which return to the ocean.1
- Perill per a les persones
- 5 / 5: Mortal3
D'on surten les dades
- Chironex fleckeri (Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0))
- Chironex fleckeri (iNaturalist): noms i classificació.
- Venom Wiki: el nivell de perill, la mida típica i la velocitat estimada són nostres. Mira com els calculem: Com valorem el perill.
Cada dada d'aquesta pàgina té un número que porta a la seva font. Si ens hem equivocat en alguna cosa, perdona, som fans dels animals, no una revista científica. Escriu-nos a [email protected] i ho arreglarem.
Tentacles urticants

