A woman has recovered after being bitten by a rare breed of the deadly Irukandji jellyfish in northern Queensland.
Key points:
- A rare breed of Irukandji jellyfish bit a woman in the waters of Magnetic Island on Friday night
- Lucy Ward suffered severe symptoms of Irukandji syndrome, but has fully recovered
- The thorny season is usually between November and May, but this species exists all year round.
Lucy Ward, 25, was diving with friends in Geoffrey Bay on Magnetic Island off the coast of Townsville around midnight on Friday when she saw the sting, which she suspected belonged to the very poisonous family. Irukandji.
“I did not feel any sting or anything [at the time]”Mrs. Ward said.
“It wasn’t until I was driving home, and I felt a very sharp pain in my stomach and I was very confused about what was going on.”
Mrs. Ward recovered quickly after being bitten. (Provided by: Lawrence Scheele)
“How to carry an electric drill in the lower back”
The recreational diver described a sudden onset of intense symptoms, disengagement and a sense of imminent death as he waited for the island’s ambulance to arrive.
“I had chest pains, rib pains, numbness in my arms, headaches,” Ms. Ward said.
“I was super nauseous, I kept getting nauseous as if I was about to vomit and I realized something was wrong.
“I started to feel like everything was very, very bad.”
Ms. Ward was bitten by a deadly Irukandji jellyfish breed. (Provided by: Lawrence Scheele)
James Cook University PhD candidate Scott Morrissey, an expert on jellyfish in North Queensland, said Ms. Ward’s symptoms were a textbook case of Irukandji Syndrome.
He said they usually kicked about 20 minutes after a person was bitten.
“Then it’s like someone is carrying an electric drill down your lower back,” he said.
A rare breed of stingray
Underwater photographer and marine biology student Lawrence Scheele, who was diving with Ms. Ward when she was bitten, captured an image of the jellyfish.
Lawrence Scheele was diving with Mrs. Ward when she was bitten. (Provided by: Lawrence Scheele)
“We deduced that it was Cubozoa class because of the distinct box shape and four tentacles on each corner,” Scheele said.
“We said, ‘We need to get out now.’
But the sting was much larger than the typical Irukandji seen in northern Queensland, which reaches an adult size of about one cubic centimeter, which caused Scheele to face the sea again to photograph the sting in shallow water. deep.
“I thought it was very important that we document what this is because we’ve never seen this kind of Irukandji before,” Scheele said.
Stinger present all year round
Morrissey said there were 25 different species of Irukandji jellyfish, usually present in the waters of northern Australia between November and May.
But Alatina alata can occur year-round.
It is present in Australia, South America and Hawaii, where tourists are often bitten on Waikiki Beach.
Mrs. Ward was bitten on Magnetic Island. (Provided by: Lawrence Scheele)
The Alatina alata is unique because it usually inhabits deep waters.
“The U.S. Navy has seen them at ridiculous depths, like between 1,000 and 800 meters,” Morrissey said.
“But it forms these monthly aggregations close to the shore where they reproduce, and they occur in conjunction with the lunar cycle … so about eight to 10 days after the full moon, you get these aggregations near the shore waters.
“They are just around the corner [the shore] for a couple of days and they disappear back into the depths.
Jellyfish expert Scott Morrissey says some species of Irukandji are present in the waters all year round. (Provided by: Scott Morrissey)
“I don’t think there are any deaths recorded by Alatina. You really don’t have much to worry about.”
Mrs Ward’s sting happened 11 days after the full moon, and after a trip to the island’s medical clinic for treatment and medication, she has recovered quickly.
“I went snorkeling again the next day,” Ms. Ward said.
“We go to their space; they will be there, but we can take care of ourselves when we enter.”