One of the deadliest venoms in the world can be found in the flimsy tentacles of this box jellyfish. When you get right down to it, box jellyfish are little more than goo. The majority of their volume is mesoglea, a non-living, jello-like substance, which is sandwiched between two thin tissue layers. They have no teeth to bite with, no claws to scratch with — none of the weaponry we generally think of when we imagine a ruthless predator. Yet these boneless, brainless boxies are among the deadliest animals on Earth.
The box jellyfish Chironex fleckeri can kill a full grown man in less than five minutes, and the venom it wields in its tentacles contains of some of the most rapid, potent toxins in the world. Exactly what those toxins are, though, has remained somewhat of a mystery. Scientists have been trying to determine the composition of box jelly venom for decades, but have only uncovered some of its potent constituents. And while there's still more to learn, last week, a research team from Queensland, Australia published the most extensive analysis of Chironex venom proteins to date, revealing some of the diverse arsenal that these gelatinous killers are equipped with.
The Science Behind a Box Jellyfish Sting
Box jellies, like other members of the phylum Cnidaria, are armed with stinging cells along their tentacles. In each is a structure called a nematocyst which contains the venom and a harpoon-like structure on a biological thread. When nematocysts are triggered, their harpoon shoot out at speeds that can exceed 40 miles per hour, creating as much penetrative force as some bullets. Victims of box jellies can be hit with millions of these tiny stinging cells in a matter of seconds, causing large, painful welts. In severe cases, the venom causes systemic effects, including acute cardiovascular collapse and death in a matter of minutes or more delayed but potentially deadly symptoms — a condition known as Irukandji Syndrome.
