World Jellyfish Day 2024: Purpose, Interesting Facts, and Celebrations

November 3 is World Jellyfish Day, which aims to raise awareness of jellyfish and their ecological importance. Since 2014, this day has highlighted the importance of these ancient creatures, which existed for more than 500 million years even before the age of dinosaurs.

Purpose

World Jellyfish Day has several purposes:

  • Ecological Awareness: The role of jellyfish in maintaining the balance of the ocean food web is to act as both predator and prey. They primarily feed on plankton, but different species also eat them, such as turtles and larger fish.
  • Research and Conservation: This day is dedicated to studying jellyfish biology, from its potential for medical applications, such as the study of bioluminescent proteins. Jellyfish conservation has also become a focus as climate change and habitat loss threaten them.
  • Cultural Importance: In other cultures, jellyfish are considered a delicacy and used for medicinal purposes, demonstrating their importance in addition to their ecological functions.

interesting facts

  • Jellyfish are 95% water and have no bones, heart or even brain in the center of their body.
  • They also glow in the dark. They have bioluminescent organs that can emit blue or green light when stimulated.
  • A group of jellyfish is called a bloom, swarm, or smack. These terms represent the wonders of jellyfish.

celebration

World Jellyfish Day can be celebrated by:

  • Educational Activities: Participate in activities to increase awareness of marine ecosystems.
  • Local conservation efforts aimed at protecting marine life.

Jellyfish emit various shades of light through chemical reactions of some molecules and enzymes. The two key products responsible for jellyfish bioluminescence are luciferin and luciferase. \

Color production process

chemical reaction:

Luciferin and oxygen combine with the help of luciferase to produce light. This reaction can produce a variety of colors depending on the types of luciferin and luciferase involved, and also varies with environmental conditions.

The light emitted can be blue, green, or any color more commonly seen in marine bioluminescence, as these wavelengths travel best in water.

Types of fluorescein:

There are many types of fluorescein present in different organisms, resulting in different colors. Some jellyfish contain a special fluorescein called coelenterazine, which is known to produce blue-green light.

The color of light emitted is determined by the specific chemical structure of fluorescein; therefore, differences in these molecules may contribute to differences in bioluminescence color between species.

Environmental factors:

The environment also determines the color of the light emitted. For example, in deep-sea environments where sunlight cannot penetrate, blue light is more effective for communication and hunting.

Today is World Jellyfish Day, which is a strange observance. A reminder of the intricate connections that exist within marine ecosystems and the urgent need for sustainable practices to achieve healthy oceans.