A research team from the University of Oviedo deciphered the genome of the immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) It aroused great expectations all over the world. This is because this discovery has identified genetic switches that explain why this species is able to avoid death.
This tiny jellyfish is only a few millimeters long, it can reorient its life cycle to an earlier asexual state called a polyp and rejuvenate itself indefinitely.. It is the first species known to have occurred.
But how exactly is this curious species, whose existence everyone is now discovering, despite the fact that it is already an old acquaintance by scientists? These are some of the keys:
It is one of the most curious jellyfish in existence, as it has a life cycle that turns it into a polyp when it reaches sexual maturity. After reaching maturity by a peculiar cellular process, it returns to its immature state.. This can occur an unlimited number of times and is therefore known as the immortal jellyfish.
It is a type of jellyfish that is between four and five millimeters in diameter. The Immortal Jellyfish has a long, bell-shaped shape and a broad stomach. Its color is strong red and in cross section it is cruciform. The youngest jellyfish species have eight tentacles, but adults can have eighty, according to the portal anipedia.net.
where do they live
The habitat of the immortal jellyfish is the oceans. They can live in any region, but normally do so in the most temperate and tropical ones because they have higher temperature waters. Immortal jellyfish can be found from Japan to Colombia, Although specimens have also appeared in the Mediterranean, especially off the coasts of Spain and Italy.
These jellyfish are thought to have lived in all these areas since then. ships passing through different regions and seas scatter them as you get stuck in tanks and dragged to different areas.
what do they eat
It feeds on undead jellyfish, plankton, crustaceans, small fish, and sometimes other smaller jellyfish species. Like the rest of the jellyfish, opportunistic game, They do not seek their prey, but feed on what comes to them.
Jellyfish eat various creatures since they reach them and inject their venom by immobilizing them with their tentacles. Once immobilized, they are much easier to feed. about animals that can easily adapt to any environment and they can often survive in different oceans.
how they were born
Regarding the reproduction of immortal jellyfish, it should be noted that these are animals of both sexes. By fertilizing the eggs these will develop both in the stomach and in the different cavities. plan.
As for how the immortal jellyfish is born, after that the eggs are planted in different colonies of polyps on the seafloor, and the jellyfish hatch after two days. After that is when jellyfish mature sexually for weeks if the water temperature is hot. It will then return to the polyp stage, where it will be known as the immortal jellyfish.
how long do they live
Jellyfish are animals that usually live for a short time and go through different cycles throughout their lives. Almost all of them have polyps, jellyfish, etc. It has a fixed time. and finally they usually live for several months. But the immortal jellyfish is special. immortal jellyfish It is the only creature known to have the ability to transform into a polyp.
This happens because these jellyfish are transformed through different types of cells. Any mature jellyfish of this species can regenerate into a polyp. This is a really curious breed, so capable of reversing the life cycle, It is probably an enhanced capacity to overcome adverse weather conditions so that they can thrive and survive in all conditions.
Carlos López-Otín, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Asturian University, said: “This study does not seek strategies to achieve the dreams of human immortality that some have proclaimed, but understanding the keys and limits of the fascinating cellular plasticity that enables some organisms to travel back in time. From this information we hope to find better responses to the myriad diseases associated with aging It overwhelms us today”.
Reference article: https://www.anipedia.net/medusas/immortal-medusa/
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