Imagine a creature that, at first glance, looks more like a science fiction monster than a real sea creature. Prepare to discover the mystery behind an unusual creature found in the brackish waters of Hong Kong. This species stands out for its cubic shape and incredible 24 eyes. What’s most fascinating is this creature’s behavior and ecology, which, like many other mysteries of the deep sea, still holds many secrets.
Cube-shaped predator with 24 eyes
This creature stands out for its completely atypical shape: it has a cubic body, and its 24 eyes are arranged in four groups of six, arranged around its structure. Not only that, but each side of its body contains two large eyes that can form images and four smaller eyes that only detect light. And most impressively, this arrangement allows the creature to have a panoramic vision, as if equipped with biological radar, seeing everything around it.
Furthermore, we can highlight its tentacles. This is because they end in paddle-shaped structures, giving them a unique ability: they can swim faster than most other marine creatures. A true master of locomotion, this creature moves agilely and efficiently, making it an excellent hunter and a formidable predator in its habitat.
Hidden in plain sight: a new box jellyfish discovered in china
Well, this entire discovery of this mysterious creature took place in the Mai Po Nature Reserve, a region known for its marine biodiversity. It was there that scientists from Hong Kong Baptist University found hundreds of these creatures in water samples collected over three consecutive summers, suggesting that these creatures might be more abundant than previously thought.
This discovery shows that, even in well-researched areas, nature still holds surprises (so much so that NASA discovered a monster in the middle of the universe). This particular creature, which turns out to be another species of box jellyfish, is the first of its kind to be found in Chinese waters. And while we don’t yet know whether it poses any risk to humans, the fact that its tentacles paralyze small crustaceans in the lab already raises questions about its toxicity.
- Mai Po Nature Reserve: the site of this new species’ discovery.
- Species abundance: up to 400 individuals found in the study area.
And while Tripedalia maipoensis’s toxicity to humans remains unclear, its tentacles have been observed paralyzing small shrimp in the laboratory. This raises the question: could the new species possess a venom capable of harming other animals or even humans? Even though scientists haven’t directly touched the creature to test its venom, the experiment with shrimp offers an important clue.
“This raises the question of the potential for a potent venom,” said research leader Qiu Jianwen.
Master of the currents: how tripedalia maipoensis rules the water
And as if all these features weren’t surprising enough, Tripedalia maipoensis is also a swimming expert. This is because its paddle-like structures aren’t just decorative; they give this creature the ability to swim at incredible speeds. This is possible thanks to a pulsatile swimming mechanism, which allows the jellyfish to move quickly and cover great distances in its habitat.
So much that this ability to move quickly may also be crucial for hunting and escaping predators. This ability to swim faster than other types of jellyfish may make it an efficient predator, capable of capturing small crustaceans like copepods, which are abundant in the location where the species was discovered. For scientists, each discovery like this holds the promise of expanding our understanding of marine biodiversity, while also opening doors to more questions that may take decades to answer. This even reminds us of this monster found inside a strange bubble.
