BEWARE OF THE FLOATING JELLIES!

BEWARE OF THE FLOATING JELLIES!

MASTER TEACHER Helen Mebane

GRADES 5 - 8

OVERVIEW
Students will be introduced to the Phylum Cnidaria which contains three common species of jellyfish found in Texas coast. The cabbagehead (Stomolophus meleagris) and the moon jelly (Aurelia aurita) are harmless to people but they may cause a mild irritation to those with sensitive skin. The sea nettles' sting (Chrysaora quinquecirrha) is moderate to severe. Students will view a video showing these three species of jellyfish. The students will observe the interesting life cycle and anatomy of a jellyfish, and then dissect a preserved jellyfish.

ETV SERIES
Wonders Under the Sea- #601 Jellyfish: Floating Phantoms

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
*describe the characteristics of cabbagehead, moon jellies, and sea nettles
*describe the life cycle of a jellyfish
*dissect a preserved jellyfish
*label the external parts of preserved jellyfish

MATERIALS
per student
Activity Sheet with 26 questions from viewing the video
Handout given "Swim, Float, or Sting" (Drawing of the life cycle of general jellyfish)
Handout given "Jumbling Jellies" (Dissection lab of preserved jellyfish)

per group of three or four students
one jellyfish
*Preserved cabbagehead may be purchased from Frey Catalog (#S22399) at a cost of $19.85 for ten in a bucket.
Frey Scientific, 100 Paragon Parkway,
Mansfield, Ohio, 44903.

Toll free phone number is 1-888-222-1332 or toll free fax number is 1-888-454-1417.

VOCABULARY
jellyfish are not really fish but they do have a mouth and a simple nervous system.
medusa is the adult stage (sexually reproducing form) of the jellyfish. Most people see this stage on the beach.
bell or mesoglea is the body of the jellyfish.
rhophalia are the eyespots that detect light along the edges of the bell.
tentacles sting and paralyze the prey (food).
oral arms grabs the prey (food).
mouth is the opening in the center of the oral arms.
gonads are the sperm or eggs from the jellyfish.
zygote is the union of the sex cells.
planula is the larval form which is free swimming.
polyp is the sessile (not moving) form which attaches to ocean bottom.
strobila is a tiny anemone-like structure with many jellyfish stacked like pancakes.
ephyra or pancakes which are released one by one into the ocean currents.
cnidocyst is the entire stinging part of a jellyfish.
nematocyst or stingers of the jellyfish.
stylet or barb is the sharp point of the stinging cells.
hydrozoan is made up of several different organisms which live together as one being; example:Portuguese man-of-war.
bioluminescence is the characteristic of some jellyfish which makes them glow in the dark.
nauplii are baby brine shrimp which is the food for the jellyfish.

PRE-VIEWING ACTIVITIES
Ask the students if they have ever been stung by a jellyfish. If so, did they or their parents know what to do to stop the pain from the tentacles? Today we will see a video on how to administer first aid to someone who has been stung by a jellyfish, and learn some general facts about the three most common jellyfish found in our area.

FOCUS FOR VIEWING
Say, "As part of our study of marine animals, we will view the external parts of a preserved jellyfish and learn their functions." To give the students a specific responsibility while viewing say, "Find some interesting facts about jellyfish." As we view this video, students will be answering the questions from the Activity Sheet at the end of the lesson. Students are to record their answers as the tape is viewed.

VIEWING ACTIVITIES
Begin the tape where Karen James introduces Debbie Witcher from the Texas State Aquarium. Karen is sitting on the floor with five children while they are making jellyfish models out of recycled bottles, yarn, and ribbons. Pause the tape after you hear "coral and sea anemones". This is the answer given to the first child's question of "Are jellyfish animals?" See the Activity Sheet, review the first question on the handout. (Yes, they are animals. They don"t have arms and legs or even a backbone like you and I. But they do have a mouth and a very simple nervous system. Jellyfish, coral and sea anemones are Cnidarians which all have stinging cells called nematocyst. Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "3,000 feet". This is the answer to the second child's question of "Where are jellyfish found?" See the Activity Sheet, review the second question on the handout. (All over the world. In saltwater ranging from the cold Arctic water to the warm water of the tropics. Many are found in shallow water but some live in water, as deep as 3,000 feet.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape you hear "danger to most people". This is the answer to the third child's question "What kinds of jellyfish are found in the coast of Mexico?" See the Activity Sheet, review the third question on the handout. (Several common types found in the coast of Mexico are cabbagehead and moon jellies which live in the shallow water of Corpus Christi Bay. They don't have many strong stinging cells. Sea nettles and sea wasps have much more powerful stings and they do present a danger to most people.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "the opening and closing of an umbrella". This is the answer to the fourth child's question, "How do jellyfish move?" See the Activity Sheet, review this question on the handout. (First, jellyfish are pushed through the water by wind, currents, and tides. Second, they move by a form of jet propulsion where they pull water into the bell like the opening and closing of an umbrella.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "strong reactions to a jellyfish's sting". This is the answer to the fifth child's question, "What do I do if I get stung by a jellyfish?" See the Activity Sheet, review for the next question on the handout. (First, have an adult remove any tentacles which are stuck to the skin. Don't put water on it; as that only makes it worse. Second, soak the area with vinegar or sprinkle unflavored meat tenderizer on the sting. Vinegar and meat tenderizer neutralize the toxins. Always carry supplies with you when you go to the beach. Some people have strong reactions to a jellyfish's sting.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "jellyfish phantoms". This is the answer to the next question by Karen to Sally Hoke, "Why do they call jellyfish ëphantoms'?" See the Activity Sheet, review for the next question on the handout. (They do have ghost-like characteristics to them.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "250 species of jellyfish". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "How many different species of jellyfish are there?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (There are over 250 species of jellyfish.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "oral arms are fused together". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "Describe the anatomy of the jellyfish." See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (Medusa is the adult stage of the jellyfish. The bell is one cell thick and 95% seawater. Tentacles are around the edges of the bell. Oral arms are at the center of the jellyfish. The mouth is where the oral arms are fused together.) Resume the tape.
Pause the tape after you hear "different degrees of light". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "Can jellyfish see or hear at all?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (Jellyfish cannot see or hear like us. They do have eyespots which detect different degrees of light.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "150 feet long". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "How large do they get?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (As small as the size of your fingernail and the Lion Mane gets up to 7 feet across with tentacles to 150 feet long.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "layers pop out". This is answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "How do jellyfish reproduce?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (There are both male and female jellyfish. The medusa male releases gametes into the water column. They find the female which takes the gametes in. The larvae develop into polyps which reproduce into layers.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "lives up to one year". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks ëHow long do jellyfish live?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (Polyps live for two years and the medusa lives up to one year.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "paralyze the prey". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "How do the stinging cells work?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (It has a point called the barb which fires when anything touches it. It then paralyzes the prey.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "within a few minutes". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "What is the most dangerous jellyfish in the world?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (It's called the Australian sea wasp which can kill humans within a few minutes.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "stay away from them". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "Do we have any dangerous jellyfish here locally?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (We have the sea wasp which is box-shaped. If you see these out in the water, stay away from them.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "fish's larvae". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "What do jellyfish eat?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (They eat plankton, small crabs, and fish's larvae.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "sea turtles eat jellyfish". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "What animals eat jellyfish?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (Atlantic spadefish, ocean sunfish, and especially, sea turtles eat jellyfish.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "balloons into the water". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "Why is it dangerous to throw plastic bags, plastic bottles, and balloons into water?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (Sea turtles think they are eating their favorite food.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after the "Creature Feature" segment. Tell students, "List three things you learned from viewing this short segment on Creature Feature." See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (Portuguese man-of-war is bluish or purplish in color, it's a hydrozoan (not a jellyfish) which means it is made up of several different organisms which live together as one being. They live in groups called rafts, their tentacles can be thirty feet long, and their enemies are the sea turtle and sea slugs.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "they can still sting you". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks Sally to "List and describe the three common jellyfish found in this region" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (Cabbageheads look like bowling balls and they have no tentacles which hang down. Moon jellies have a saucer shaped body with four horseshoe gonads in the center. Atlantic sea nettles, the most dangerous, have extremely long, fine clear tentacles. Even if they break off, these dangerous tentacles can still sting you.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "genetic research". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "What is bioluminescence?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (Some jellyfish glow in the dark. These jellyfish are used in genetic research.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "moon jelly". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "What does the jelly lab contain?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (The lab has sea anemones which are relatives of the jellyfish. It also has different information on the life cycles of the moon jelly.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "tear the jellyfish apart". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "What do the jellyfish require in these tanks?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (They need constant flow of water without any air bubbles. If any air bubbles get trapped under the bell, they would tear the jellyfish apart.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "oral arms of the jellyfish". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "What do you feed these jellyfish?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (They eat nauplii which is baby brine shrimp which contain vitamins and fat. It's like putting gravy on a chocolate chip cookie. You can tell a jellyfish has eaten because you can see orange nauplii on the central oral arms of the jellyfish.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "natural habitat". This is the answer to the next question by Karen. She asks "Why do you think this jellyfish exhibit is so successful?" See the Activity Sheet, review the next question on the handout. (Most people don't see them in their natural habitat.) Resume the tape. Pause the tape after you hear "don't have a choice to where they go". This is the answer to the last question by Karen. She asks "Why do you think 100 jellyfish washed up on the beach?" See the Activity Sheet, this is the last question on the handout. (Jellyfish are weak swimmers and they don't have a choice to where they will go.) Stop and eject the tape after Karen James thanks Sally Hoke for answering all her questions.

POST-VIEWING ACTIVITIES
Explain, "Now that you have a better understanding of the anatomy of a jellyfish, their life cycle, and their stinging abilities, let's dissect these preserved cabbageheads."
Give each of the students a copy of "Swim, Float, or Sting" (Drawing of the life cycle of general jellyfish) and "Jumbling Jellies" (Dissection lab of preserved jellyfish).
These handouts are from the Texas State Aquarium curriculum-1998.

ACTION PLAN
Students could either take a field trip to the Texas State Aquarium or write Sally Hoke, Marine Biologist from the Texas State Aquarium to invite her to our classroom. Ask her questions: What has been the most exciting and frustrating part of being in charge of the jellyfish exhibit? Could you show us how jellyfish are prepared and cooked in other countries? What do you do so that you don't get stung by the jellyfish? Can you explain why most tanks are cylindrical?
Note: The Texas State Aquarium-Floating Phantoms (Jellyfish exhibit) will close in December of 1999. The Aquarium is located at 2710 North Shoreline, Corpus Christi, Texas 78402-1097

Have students visit the following web sites that have more information on jellyfish:

http://www.danenet.wicip.org/mmsd-it/jellyfish.html

EXTENSIONS
Science
H.E.B. TeleVentures "Wonders Under the Sea" :
http://www.televentures.org

Students may complete these handouts provided by the Texas State Aquarium:
VISIT: www.televenture.org/
*Sea Things that Sting (Compare and Contrast different species of jellyfish), 1998
*This Time It's For Your Own Good (Function of the cnidocytes of the jellyfish), 1995
*Giant Jellies (Model and explain the feeding behavior of jellyfish), 1995

Students may view the short segment from the movie of "Sphere" in which the jellyfish attack the woman who dies shortly after. Students would then write a 1/2 page report in which they would agree or disagree that it is possible that she could have died the way she did in that movie. Remind students to use the knowledge they have gained from studying jellyfish.

Math
Using a piece of kite string, measure the bell of your cabbagehead jellyfish. Then place the string on a meter stick to determine its circumference in centimeters. Next, use the string to measure the height of the jellyfish. Then place the string on a meter stick to determine its height in centimeters. Record its circumference and height. Compare and contrast the data taken with other students in the class. Are all the jellyfish the same or are they different sizes?

Art
Create a 3-D model of a jellyfish using any materials the students wishes to use. Suggestions for making a Sea Nettle jellyfish:
use a white paper plate, draw four horseshoe shaped gonads in the center of paper plate, to make the tentacles cut colored yarn and tape to edge of the paper plate, to make the oral arms cut three colored construction paper and tape to underside of the paper plate.
*Adapted from Venomous Marine Creatures Workshop given by the Texas State Aquarium on November 19, 1998.

Language Arts
Research information from the websites given, or read the books listed below. Choose and draw a jellyfish of your choice, record its scientific name, its characteristics (size, shape, and color) and write a 1/2 page report about your jellyfish. Hang your drawing and its information on the outside walls for rest of student body to observe.
*Adapted from Texas State Aquarium curriculum "What's on the NET, jellyfish?"

Read any of these books:

Campbell, Eileen. A Guide to the World of the Jellyfish. Monterey, California,1992 ( This booklet may be purchased in the gift shop at the Texas State Aquarium-Corpus Christi.)

Gowell, Elizabeth. Sea Jellies. New York: New England Aquarium, 1993

Jacobson, Morris. Wonders of Jellyfish. New York: Dodd Mead, 1978

Walsh, K., Jellyfish Up Close Ranger Rick: May 1991:38-46.

Social Studies
Using a world map, find the geographic distribution of the most dangerous jellyfish, and research how many people have died per year from jellyfish stings. When the Australian sea wasp stings a person, death occurs within what amount of time? (Answers: The most dangerous jellyfish is the Australian sea wasp (Chironex), 65 people have died in an year, people die in less than three minutes.)

Activity Sheet

Answer these questions to the best of your ability.

1. Are jellyfish animals?

2. Where are jellyfish found?

3. What kind of jellyfish are found in the coast of Mexico?

4. How do jellyfish move?

5. What do I do if I get stung by a jellyfish?

6. Why do they call the jellyfish phantoms?

7. How many different species of jellyfish are there?

8. Describe the anatomy of the jellyfish.

9. Can jellyfish see or hear at all?

10. How large do they get?

11. How do jellyfish reproduce?

12. How long do jellyfish live?

13. How do the stinging cells work?

14. What is the most dangerous jellyfish in the world?

15. Do we have any dangerous jellyfish here locally?

16. What do jellyfish eat?

17. What animals eat jellyfish?

18. Why is it dangerous to throw plastic bags, plastic bottles, and balloons into water?

19. List three things you learned from viewing this short segment on "Creature Feature".

20. List and describe the three common jellyfish found in this region.

21. What is bioluminescence?

22. What does the jelly lab contain?

23. What do the jellyfish require in these tanks?

24. What do you feed these jellyfish?

25. Why do you think this jellyfish exhibit is so successful?

26. Why do you think 100 jellyfish washed up on the beach?

Updated: April 01, 2008