Going to the beach this week? Great – pack the sun cream, wear shoes — and don’t pee on your friend’s jellyfish sting.
My family will be down at the beach alot this week – but we are never barefoot. My boys will likely tell you it’s only because I’m no fun. But shoes protect from jellyfish tentacles on the shore – they can sting even after they are washed up. Weever fish are hidden. Even though it’s called a weever fish – it buries itself in sand and shallow warm water. It’s spine sticks up – almost impossible to see! – and will pierce the bottom of the unprotected foot. The venom causes SERIOUS pain for a couple of hours.
The science in our seas is amazing: Jellyfish are seriously cool creatures. While they lack brains (no, not rude – they really don’t have any) they do come with clever “nematocysts” which are like tiny harpoon cells. Weever fish – they are actually kind of cute. As we spend time down there this week in the heat wave, let’s just give these critters’ self-defences the respect they deserve.
Swipe through the quick Do’s and Don’t of jellyfish first aid.
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