He has 24 eyes.. A mysterious creature was discovered for the first time in a lake in Hong Kong
Scientists discovered a mysterious creature with 24 eyes in a muddy pond in Hong Kong, while observing the body of water in the Mae Po Sanctuary, and determined that it was an entirely new species of jellyfish.
The new species is part of the box jellyfish family. It turned out to have a transparent body measuring less than an inch, and three long tentacles. And that this jellyfish has two dozen eyes divided evenly into four groups of six, located inside the so-called rhopalium on each side.
This is the first detection of a new box jellyfish species in Chinese waters and the fourth species in the family Tripedaliidae, which includes some of the most venomous marine animals in tropical waters.
Named for the shape of its body, box jellyfish contain tentacles like poison darts that shoot a toxin that can cause paralysis, cardiac arrest and even death, all within a few minutes of being stung.
The Australian box jellyfish is one of the most venomous marine animals in the world.
The class Cubozoa, known as box jellyfish because of their cubic-shaped bells, consists of a small group of cnidarians with nearly 50 described species and is known to the public as containing some of the most venomous marine animals in the world, says the study published in the academic journal Zoological. Studies.
A team of scientists led by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) monitored the marine animal for three years, and found that an increased number appeared in the brackish water of shrimp ponds in the Mae Po Nature Reserve.
The reserve features wetlands with shallow pools that reach the Sham Chun River, Shan Boy River and Tin Shui Wai Nola.
The team collected the jellyfish from the pond and analyzed their DNA and tissue, which allowed them to identify a new species. They are closely related to the Jamaican, Florida, Singapore, Australian and Indian species.
Lead researcher Professor Qiu Jianwen said box jellyfish are "unknown" in Chinese marine waters, and the discovery is believed to indicate a "rich diversity" of marine life around Hong Kong.
Both males and females were collected from the pond in 2022.
The 24 eyes are standard for a box jellyfish, and two of the clusters are said to contain lenses that enable image formation, while the other four can only sense light.
Box jellyfish can reach four knots while swimming, while other species float with the current. The new species is the only one known of its kind in the region, prompting scientists to name it Tripedalia maipoensis, in honor of the reserve where it was found.
Source: websites