第 1077 號，共 1 402 號

Australian box jellyfish

Chironex fleckeri

名字的由來： The species is named after Doctor Hugo Flecker, who found the first specimen. Its genus name combines Chiron, a centaur from Greek myth, with the Latin word nex, meaning murder.1

致命不要碰地球上最致命的動物之一。如果牠螫了你，要立刻求救。幾分鐘內就能致命。救援必須已經在路上。

水母和會螫人的海洋生物

會螫人的觸手吃：肉

對人的危險: 致命世界上最危險的動物之一。

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

分布在

Northern Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam and nearby coasts1

印度洋, 太平洋, 珊瑚海, 南海, 菲律賓海, 帝汶海與阿拉弗拉海

首頁

It lives in coastal waters, and is most common there in the warmer months. People meet it in shallow water near beaches, and breeding happens in lower river levels and mangrove channels.1

長度

16 cm 到 35 cm (6,3 in 到 1,1 ft)1

最高速度

大約 7 km/h（4,4 mph）

游泳: 箱形水母的游速大約是 4 節

牠吃什麼？

It eats prawns, small fish, crabs, shrimp and other small sea animals. It catches them using its long, stinging tentacles.1

Australian box jellyfish 的照片 — Australian box jellyfish。照片：Kai Squires。 CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist.

怎麼認出牠

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

毒液力量

會螫人的觸手

有東西碰到時，成千上萬個小小的刺細胞就會發射。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

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

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 致命世界上最危險的動物之一。

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

好消息：醫生有藥（抗毒血清）或治療方法。1

如果牠螫人

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
離開水裡，把觸手拿掉（戴手套或用布）。
熱帶箱形水母：在螫傷處倒醋至少 30 秒，求救，並準備好做心肺復甦術（CPR）。藍瓶水母和大多數其他水母：用海水沖洗，再用熱水止痛。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠螫了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲太平洋印度洋珊瑚海南海菲律賓海帝汶海與阿拉弗拉海

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 11 塊玩具積木排成一排一樣長可以在 26 秒內游完一座大游泳池（50 公尺）

Australian box jellyfish 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一個正在游泳的人 大約 3 km/h (1,9 mph)

Australian box jellyfish 大約 7 km/h (4,4 mph)

奧運游泳選手 大約 8 km/h (5 mph)

值得知道

小知識

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

破解迷思

迷思： Pressure bandages are the best first aid for a box jellyfish sting.

真相： 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

給毒液專家

學名: Chironex fleckeri
類群: 水母和會螫人的海洋生物
家人: Chirodropidae2
排序: Chirodropida
各大洲: 印度洋, 太平洋, 珊瑚海, 南海, 菲律賓海, 帝汶海與阿拉弗拉海, 海洋
寶寶: It lays eggs, and fertilised eggs develop into tiny polyps that bud into new young jellyfish, which return to the ocean.1
對人的危險: 5 / 5: 致命3