Box jellyfish are most commonly present in tropical Australian waters from November to April each year, with 8% of stings occurring outside this period. Stings most commonly occur in adult men in water less than 100 mm deep. About 37% of Australian box jellyfish stings occur in children.
Box jellyfish live in the shallow waters of the northern Australian coast. After local rain and in calm seas, there may be many: near river and creek outlets. around boat ramps.
The most common type of stinging jellyfish is the bluebottle. These are found in non-tropical areas, especially along the south-eastern coastline of Australia. Their stings are painful, but they don't usually need medical treatment.
Where and when are box jellyfish found in Australia? They are found in the waters north of Bundaberg, Queensland, up around the coast of the Northern Territory and down to Exmouth in Western Australia.
While box jellyfish are found in warm coastal waters around the world, the lethal varieties are found primarily in the Indo-Pacific region and northern Australia. This includes the Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri), considered the most venomous marine animal.
Box jellyfish are most commonly present in tropical Australian waters from November to April each year, with 8% of stings occurring outside this period. Stings most commonly occur in adult men in water less than 100 mm deep. About 37% of Australian box jellyfish stings occur in children.
Box Jellyfish Stings: Everything You Need to Know. There are more than 40 species of box jellyfish, and eight of them are deadly. 1 Though most box jellyfish stings are not life-threatening, some can kill in as little as five minutes. 2 Quick treatment is essential to saving life.
Certain box jellyfish stings can kill a person within minutes. Other box jellyfish stings can lead to death in 4 to 48 hours after a sting due to "Irukandji syndrome," a delayed reaction to the sting. It is important to carefully monitor box jellyfish sting victims for hours after a sting.
Jellyfish Safe
This includes marine stingers some of which are dangerous, most famously the box jellyfish and Irukandji. These can be found around Tropical North Queensland along the coast as far south as Gladstone, from around October/ November to May/ June.
Comb jellyfish are completely harmless with no stingers.
There have been 70 deaths caused by box jellyfish in Australia since the 1880s. A similar incident occurred in March last year when a 17-year-old had been swimming in Bamaga, Cape York, when he was stung by a box jellyfish. The teenager was in the hospital for a week before his life support was turned off.
The Aurelia Aurita, known as the moon jelly, is the most common and widely recognized jellyfish species. Though it has venom, it is harmless to humans—it's even a popular dish in China! The umbrella on the Aurelia Aurita can reach 30 to 40 centimeters, with marginal tentacles and gonads arranged in four circles.
A 10-year-old Australian girl who survived being stung by the world's most venomous creature, the deadly box jellyfish, may have rewritten medical history, an expert says.
Box Jellyfish: Predators
Due to its toxic venom, the box jellyfish has very few predators. However, some species of sea turtles are immune to this venom. They can eat the jellies without worrying about the effects of the stinging tentacles. Green sea turtles in particular are the major predator of the box jelly.
Each box jellyfish carries enough venom to kill more than 60 humans. A single sting to a human will cause necrosis of the skin, excruciating pain and, if the dose of venom is large enough, cardiac arrest and death within minutes.
Covering up with a long-sleeved swimsuit is a good idea if you plan to swim near viciously stinging jellyfish like lion's mane. Similarly, swim leggings will cover your legs but not interfere with swimming.
Fortunately, many people can take steps to avoid jellyfish stings when swimming by checking with local health departments and lifeguards about water conditions. If jellyfish have been reported in the water, do not go swimming. Other preventive measures include: Use protective lotions.
The box jellyfish is very aggressive towards other species, but generally not toward humans. They are only aggressive towards humans when they feel threatened by them. The box jellyfish will then sting in self-defense.
Jellyfish stings in Australia can cause pain, paralysis and death for swimmers with exposed skin. Numerous venomous species of jellyfish occur in Australian waters, including the box jellyfish and Irukandji Jellyfish. Box jellyfish are believed to have caused at least 69 deaths since record keeping began in 1883.
Depending upon the species, the bell's diameter can range in size from 1–30 cm (0.4–11.8 inches), and the tentacles can extend up to 3 metres (9.8 feet) in length. The tentacles contain nematocysts, which are capsules with tiny barbed hooks that are filled with poison and can be fired into the bodies of prey.
Irukandji are much smaller than their Box Jellyfish cousins. With their bell measuring a mere 2cm and their tentacles rarely reaching a metre in length, the Irukandji are incredibly hard to spot in water. People often do not feel Irukandji stings, and this leads to under reporting.
While there have been only two confirmed Irukandji deaths in Australia, the stingers are suspected to be behind the mysterious deaths of several tourists on the Great Barrier Reef.
It's estimated that between 50 and 100 people die a year from encounters, but that estimate may still be low. Many incidents go unreported since they occur throughout the indo-pacific in poor, remote places.