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BOX JELLYFISH While you may be more concerned about great white, bull or tiger sharks when you jump in the ocean, spare a thought for the box jellyfish, which is the most venomous marine animal in the world and hangs around northern Australia (especially during the wet season). Interestingly, these straight-out-of-aPeter-Benchley-novel terrors are not actually true jellyfish. They actively swim after their prey, as opposed to true jellyfish that aimlessly drift on the currents.
as soon as you can. Luckily it’s not always that extreme. If the victim is stung somewhere non-vital, like the ankle for example, you need to inactivate the remaining stinging cells by pouring vinegar over the tentacles and soaking them for a good 30 seconds before removing them. If you try to pull them off before this step, they can actually release more venom.
Fun fact two: Ordinary vinegar has actually saved dozens of lives at Aussie beaches over the They have a box-shaped head (as you’d years. Interestingly, pressure immobilisation bandages as used guess) and tentacles up to 3m long. They’re clear with a blue tinge, making on snake and spider bites are no longer recommended as they can them almost invisible in the water. cause further venom discharge, even Fun fact one: The stings affect the if vinegar’s been used. Pop a couple heart, the nervous system and the skin, so coming into contact with one of antihistamines and painkillers on your way to get medical treatment sounds like an absolute joy. They’ve and a dose of anti-venom. been responsible for a fair few deaths over the last century and even Metho, ammonia, urine, bicarb soda those who survive are often left with and all the other ‘remedies’ you may have heard of unfortunately don’t nasty scarring of the affected area. work… gee, may have to go chuck a The venom can cause cardiac arrest bottle of vinegar in the old first aid kit. – so if this happens to someone nearby, you need to commence CPR NON-INTERACTIVE VERSION | PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE