8 Amazing Facts That Will Make Jellyfish Your New Favorite Animal

All the things you didn't know about jellyfish actually make them kind of magical.

1. Jellyfish are older than Dinosaurs

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Jellyfish are the world's oldest animal. They've been around for 250 million years! They began before dinosaurs and survived the extinction that killed them.

2. Jellyfish are immortal

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There are 400 species of Jellyfish, all with varying life expectancies from 1 - 25 years. But there's one species: Turritopsis aka the scarlet jellyfish, which can revert to its young "polyp" form. This means that it's technically immortal. These guys definitely don't need the philosopher's stone!

3. Jellyfish have a deadly sting

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A jellyfish can release a fatal sting to its prey in just 3 milliseconds of contact. These stings paralyze and kill their prey and some species like the Box Jellyfish can also be very harmful to humans. Maybe jellyfish inspired Avada Kedavra

4. Jellyfish can produce sunlight

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Jellyfish absorb sunlight to create food, but they can also produce it. This can be seen at night when they luminesce. Maybe Jellyfish are just the Egyptian God "Ra" in disguise.

5. Jellyfish can help cure cancer

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Jellyfish's ability to reproduce sunlight is being used by doctors and scientists to discover cancerous cells under a microscope.

6. Jellyfish can heal your torn ACL or meniscus

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Jellyfish have a very similar type of collagen as the one found in human cartilage. Their collagen could be inserted into our damaged joints to help repair cartilage and heal our injuries much faster. Starting to think that Jellyfish might be superheroes...

7. Global warming and Ocean Acidification helps Jellyfish thrive

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Jellyfish blooms have become more and more frequent in recent years with warming and acidifying oceans. They may have mastered evolution even faster than humans.

8. Jellyfish make delicious meals

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Jellyfish are starting to be considered a delicacy among many chefs. Yes, people are actually eating jellyfish and they are delicious. Try it! Eating them can help control their populations and keep our oceans healthy. Doesn't that Jellyfish Salad look delicious?!