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Show Cruising Jellyfish Menace Sea Bathers As if bottle caps and broken glass are not enough, nature provides pro-vides another menace to saltwater bathers the stinging nettle. Technically called a medusa, this jellyfish paralyzes small fish with its barbs and pulls them into its mouth, located in the "handle" Df an umbrella-shaped body. In summer when vacationers splash too close,, this aquatic porcupine :heerfully shoots its microscopic stingers into human arms and legs. Shallow waters, such as Chesapeake Chesa-peake Bay, are so attractive to sea nettles that midsummer swimmers swim-mers often are forced to retreat to the beach. Although these pulsating floaters float-ers are 95 per cent water, they have made their mark in the tvorld. Geologists have found fossil fos-sil remains of jellyfish which were deposited in the mud of ancient Cambrian seas millions of years ago. Both umbrella and tentacles of the stinging nettles are equipped tvith tiny cups, each containing a coiled thread and accompanied by a "trigger" hair. When the triggers trig-gers are touched, the cups shoot their threads into the victim. |