Vicious Beauties: The Secret World of Jellyfish
The mere mention of the name jellyfish can evoke the most negative feelings even in an experienced ocean explorer. And it’s no wonder, these amazing creatures have earned their bad reputation because they have developed an impressive set of skills to protect themselves and adapt to basically every under water habitat. Their gelatinous bodies have the most unusual shapes and they consist of 98% water. Depending on the specie, a jellyfish can live up to thirty years. During this time they can grow up to 200 times their initial size.
The family of the jellyfish, also known as medusae, are not only the most beautiful and most venomous ocean inhabitants, they are also some of the deepest divers with some species found as deep as 8,300 meters. Their existence is of extreme importance to the oceans, however. A large percentage of the migrations of fish, turtles, and mammals would not be possible without the existence of jellyfish. This is because many fish feed on jellyfish and in turn mammals and other larger migratory predators feed on the fish.
In this documentary, join Gerhard Jarms, a scientist of the Zoological Institute of the University of Hamburg and a notorious jellyfish expert, as he takes us into the exotic world of medusae. The expedition begins in the northern Atlantic, home of the mysterious periphylla. Then it’s on to the island of Pico in the Azores — a jellyfish paradise in the Atlantic — in search of the jellies that seek shelter in the caves along rough seas. The waters off the coast of Vancouver Island are cold and nutrient rich. This is quite attractive for jellyfish and they can be found peacefully drifting in the dark green waters. Visit the famous Jellyfish Lake in the Pacific Ocean, and then explore some of the world’s most beautiful coral reefs in western Papua. The final stop is right off the coast of Australia in search of one of the most poisonous creatures in the ocean; the fatal sea wasp or box jellyfish.
Packed with amazing footage of beautiful ocean creatures and their habitat, this documentary is interesting and highly educational. Watch it now.
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