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Research conducted in waters off Weipa has taken scientists a step closer to understanding the secret lives of deadly box jellyfish.
JCU Cairns researcher Matt Gordon will present the findings on Monday (10 July) at the Catchments to Coast conference at the Cairns Convention Centre.
"Unlike most jellyfish, box jellies are able to move independent of water currents and wave action," Mr Gordon said. "But until now we've had little information on where they go within a day."
During the last stinger season (2005 to 2006) Mr Gordon tracked jellyfish in waters around Weipa, and confirmed that some were very capable long- distance swimmers.
"One individual covered more than seven kilometres over a 17-hour period of constant movement," he said.
"That's a marathon effort from an animal that only measured around 100mm across the bell."
Using surgical glue, small ultrasonic transmitters were fitted to the bells of twelve jellyfish. Their movements were recorded for as long as the tag remained attached: up to 56 hours in one case.
"We found their swimming behaviour varied markedly, depending on where they were," Mr Gordon said.
"Those we tracked in the estuaries travelled significant distances, whereas once they found a favourable habitat along the coastline they kept within two to three kilometres of beachfront."
It's hoped the tracking studies will also reveal jellyfish responses to particular conditions, and so help to make northern waters safer for humans.
"The data collected off Weipa is important not just in terms of the large-scale movement patterns recorded, but also because it gives us some base-line reference to which we can compare their responses to conditions such as increased wind and wave action," Mr Gordon said.
"That's the sort of information we need to develop a computer model predicting where box jellyfish hot spots are likely to occur."
Matthew Gordon will present the findings at the Catchments to Coast conference at the Cairns Convention Centre at 4.30pm on Monday 10 July.
Catchments to Coast, an international conference of more than 540 marine and wetlands researchers, will continue until Friday.
Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here. ' |
