Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 2 days ago
Jellyfish blooms are making headlines around the world. This is due to the damage they cause to tourism, fishing and our health. How can these creatures, which are over 98% water and have no shell, skeleton or brain, expand so rapidly? Although this is a normal stage in the life cycle of these gelatinous animals, we have to admit that blooms have become much more frequent and massive in recent decades. We're even witnessing jellyfish populations appearing in more and more regions where fish have been replaced by them, such as off the coast of Namibia, in the Black Sea, in the Sea of Japan and in certain areas of the Baltic Sea. What causes this? Why has the role of jellyfish in the ocean been underestimated, even though they outlived the dinosaurs? Are jellyfish on their way to dominating the oceans as they once did? What if they were to be the only ones left?
Transcript
00:04They dance delicately, captivating, almost hypnotizing us.
00:11They have no heart, no brain, no skeleton, and are made up of more than 90% water.
00:22And yet jellyfish can sometimes ruin tourist's holidays,
00:27put electricity substations out of action, and threaten fisheries all over the world.
00:34In the Mediterranean, in the heart of the Norwegian fjords, and off the coast of Namibia,
00:39there is a worrying proliferation of these animals, known as a jellyfish bloom.
00:47Are jellyfish taking over the oceans?
00:54And how is it possible for these seemingly simple and fragile creatures to expand their numbers in this way?
Comments

Recommended