World Jellyfish Day 2023: Date, History, Significance And Facts

World Jellyfish Day is celebrated every year on November 3 to raise awareness about jellyfish and their role in the ecosystem.

World Jellyfish Day stemmed from enthusiastic marine biologists to put a spotlight on these creatures. Jellyfish have been swimming in our oceans for over 500 million years, making them one of the oldest living creatures on Earth.

Despite this, their understanding among the general populace remained superficial for a long time, often confined to their stinging nature or their beauty. World Jellyfish Day was introduced reportedly in the year 2014 to shed light on the more profound aspects of these creatures.

World Jellyfish Day is significant as Jellyfish help maintain ecological balance in marine populations. The day is aimed at promoting knowledge about the various species of jellyfish, their lifecycle, their role in marine food webs and the potential benefits they offer to humans, such as in medical research and even as sustainable food sources.

Through World Jellyfish Day, enthusiasts, researchers and educators hope to spark curiosity, respect and a deeper understanding of these ancient, mysterious, and fascinating jellyfishes

According to the Ocean Exploration website, here are some jellyfish facts:

• Jellyfish make their home in the water column, which is one of the largest, yet least understood, biomes on Earth.

• A group of jellyfish can be called a bloom, a swarm, or a smack.

• Despite the word "fish" in their names, jellyfish are not actually fish.

• Jellyfish don’t have a brain. They do have a network of nerves, but no central nervous system.

• When feeding, jellyfish use their tentacles to sting their prey (plankton).

• Lots of animals eat jellyfish, including tunas, sharks, turtles, and humans.