第 1079 號，共 1 402 號

Irukandji jellyfish

Carukia barnesi

可能致命不要碰不治療的話可能會害死你。如果牠螫了你，要趕快求救。

會螫人的觸手吃：肉

The Irukandji jellyfish is a tiny box jellyfish with a sting that can cause a serious illness called Irukandji syndrome. It lives in the open water near Australia, and it is hard to spot because it is so small.1

分布在

Open water near Australia, with most reported incidents in Australia, especially North Queensland1

印度洋, 太平洋, 珊瑚海, 帝汶海與阿拉弗拉海

首頁

It lives in open water. Most reported stings happen in Australia during the warm summer season. Swimmers in open water near North Queensland were the first people recorded with this syndrome.1

長度

5 cm (2 in)1

最高速度

大約 5 km/h（3,1 mph）

游泳, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

Muscle cells in the tentacles bring food to the mouth, where it enters a stomach-like cavity and is digested. Its prey changes as it grows, from small invertebrates such as zooplankton and crustaceans to fish.1

Irukandji jellyfish 的照片 — Irukandji jellyfish。照片：Lisa-ann Gershwin。 CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist.

怎麼認出牠

The bell is square-shaped and very small, about 12 mm high and 30 mm across.1
It has four long tentacles, one from each corner of the bell.1
The tentacles range from 5 to 50 cm long.1
Its small size means it often goes unseen in open water.1

常被誤認為： The common name Irukandji jellyfish is also used for other Irukandji jellyfish, such as Malo kingi. The name alone does not tell them apart.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？

This jellyfish is extremely venomous. Its venom comes from stinging cells called nematocysts in its tentacles and bell, and it changes as the jellyfish matures. A sting can cause Irukandji syndrome, with muscle aches, back pain, nausea, headaches, chest and stomach pains, sweating, high blood pressure and difficulty breathing.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 非常危險如果沒有治療，牠可能會害死一個人。

Irukandji syndrome can be severe, and the symptoms are described in detail in medical accounts. Most reported incidents have been in Australia during the warm summer season. Because the jellyfish is so small, people often do not see it before they are stung.1

如果牠螫人

In hospital, patients are given intravenous morphine, hydromorphone or fentanyl for pain. Pethidine is avoided because of its toxic metabolite norpethidine.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帝汶海與阿拉弗拉海

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

比你的小指頭還短可以在 36 秒內游完一座大游泳池（50 公尺）

Irukandji 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)

Irukandji jellyfish 大約 5 km/h (3,1 mph)

奧運游泳選手 大約 8 km/h (5 mph)

值得知道

小知識

Jack Barnes of Cairns, Australia, discovered the species. During an exploration aimed at finding the cause of Irukandji syndrome, he allowed himself, a lifeguard and his 9-year-old son to be stung.1

Irukandji syndrome, which this jellyfish can cause, was first identified after a group of swimmers were stung in open water near North Queensland, Australia.1

Its venom changes in composition as the jellyfish grows, matching its change in prey from invertebrates to fish.1

Its life cycle alternates between a young form that attaches to a reef or rock and an adult form that swims freely in the water.1

This jellyfish is a type of box jellyfish, a group known for potent venom.1

給毒液專家

學名: Carukia barnesi
類群: 水母和會螫人的海洋生物
家人: Carukiidae2
排序: Carybdeida
各大洲: 印度洋, 太平洋, 珊瑚海, 帝汶海與阿拉弗拉海, 海洋
寶寶: Young jellyfish begin as a swimming planula larva, which settles on a reef or rock and grows into a polyp. The polyp later forms a colony that develops into an adult medusa.1
對人的危險: 4 / 5: 非常危險3