3rd November Jellyfish Day

It is Jellyfish Day! This event is meant to honour our slightly slimy counterparts that can sometimes cause a bit of consternation at the beach.

It is celebrated in springtime, as this is the season when jellyfish will begin their migration to the shores of the northern hemisphere. Although an apparently very simple invertebrate they are beautiful creatures, that fascinate students and allow for some very creative artwork.

Did you know that 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. No bones about it, they are invertebrates! Besides their lack of bones, jellyfish also lack a brain. Instead, they have a network of nerves, but no central nervous system. When feeding, jellyfish use their tentacles to sting their prey – they eat plankton. But what eats a jellyfish? Many animals do, including tunas, sharks, turtles, and humans! 

I have written about this day before here, but today I was reading about them again and marvelling at them in these pictures that show very clearly that they are not all the same.

And, one of the most popular series in the library at the moment is about an unlikely friendship between a narwhal and a jellyfish, Ben Clanton's Narwhal and Jelly series. Books 1 to 3 are available and Book 4 will be here in February. Also I just bought a set of puppets so the students can make up their own Narwhal and Jelly conversations.