What is a box jellyfish?
The box jellyfish, or Australian box jellyfish, is a highly venomous cube-shaped jellyfish found in tropical waters of northern Australia. Its stings can cause severe pain and, rarely, death.
The bell is box-shaped and can reach about 30 centimetres across, with up to 15 tentacles trailing from each corner, some up to three metres long. The tentacles are covered in millions of stinging cells.
Box jellyfish are almost transparent, making them hard to see in water. They are active swimmers and have clusters of eyes that help them avoid obstacles.
Stinger season
Box jellyfish are most common from about October to May along the coasts of Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia. Swimmers should use stinger nets and wear full-body stinger suits.
Vinegar is used to neutralise unfired stinging cells on the skin. Call an ambulance and be ready to start CPR.
An antivenom is available in hospitals, although its usefulness is debated. Since the early twentieth century, box jellyfish have caused dozens of recorded deaths in Australia, many of them children, who are more vulnerable because of their smaller size. Lifesavers regularly drag nets through the water to check for jellyfish before declaring beaches safe.
Did You Know?
Box jellyfish have 24 eyes arranged in four clusters.