What is Santjordia pagesi?

About Santjordia pagesi

• Santjordia pagesi, also called St. George’s cross medusa jellyfish, is a newly discovered species of jellyfish.
• It is considered “rare” and has been found only in the Sumisu Caldera near the Ogasawara Islands, about 600 miles southeast of Tokyo, Japan.
• “Santjordia” refers to Saint George in Catalan, representing its cross-shaped stomach.
• Features:
  • It is considered large at 4 inches wide and 3 inches tall.
  • It boasts a circular body with around 240 tentacles.
  • Its body looks almost like a see-through cushion. It has a thick white ring running along its lower edge. 
  • Smaller vein-like structures stretch from its prominent central stomach to the outer ring. 
  • Its most distinctive feature is a bright red, cross-shaped stomach.
  • The jellyfish’s distinct features suggest it may possess a novel cnidarian venom.

What is a Jellyfish?

• A jellyfish is a type of marine animal belonging to the phylum Cnidaria, which includes creatures such as sea anemones, sea whips, and corals.
• Like all members of the phylum, the body parts of a jellyfish radiate from a central axis. 
• These are found in oceans around the world and come in various shapes and sizes.
• Jellyfish have a soft, transparent, and umbrella-shaped bell that can pulsate for movement. Hanging from the bell are tentacles.
• Jellyfish have tiny stinging cells in their tentacles to stun or paralyze their prey before they eat them.
• Inside their bell-shaped body is an opening that is its mouth. They eat and discard waste from this opening.

Q1) What is a Caldera?

A caldera is a depression created after a volcano releases the majority of the contents of its magma chamber in an explosive eruption. Without any structural support below, the land around the erupting volcanic vent or vents collapses inwardly, creating the bowl-shaped caldera. 

Source: ‘Mysterious’ jellyfish with 240 tentacles discovered off Japan’s coast declared a new species

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