The Jellyfish and the Dolphins!

The tiny black dot is a dolphin...I swear!

More Sunset!

Approaching storm! Crazy Clouds!

Jellyfish!

I have always had a fascination with Jellyfish. When I was a kid playing at Cape Beach in Annapolis I loved watching them. This summer while we were vacationing at the beach there were just oodles of them. I don't know if it was the time of year or if they were just brought by the currents from the approaching storm, but I have never seen many on Assateague Island before. One man who was out on the beach at night said that they were lit up like stars in the darkness of the waves. I'm sooo gonna try to catch a glimpse of THAT next year. Amanda got absolutely clobbered by one though and it pretty much ruined her entire day. It left huge welts that were painfull and then turned to a dull irritation later. I started researching on line to find out how to treat the sting and found out lots of interesting information about them. They are one of the most simple of Gods creatures. They don't need much for survival. Just a little plankton. They lack a central nervous system and a circulatory system. Basically they have no brain, no backbone, and no heart...and they lack any way of communicating...how sad! They can sense light and odor and can make small movements in the direction of what it sences by blowing water out an orphus... a small hole in it's bottom. lol. Most of their life they are tossed to and fro by the changing tides and currents. The only time they are really attached to anything is during their young polyp stage as they are anchored to where the egg is placed by the parent medusae jellyfish. At some point in it's short lifespan the medusae releases, and is carried by the currents and tides until it washes up on shore, is exposed to the sun and evaporates into a gelatanous ooze. I enjoyed watching the jellyfish while they were in the light on the surface of the water, but soon, as if it never happened, it returned back into the darkness.

So different from the Dolphin who finds so much joy playing in the surf. It determines it's own direction, and always stays with it's family. A gentle, happy creature who enjoys communicating with it's own species and even us sometimes. They are just as much fun to watch and just as elusive to photograph. If I had to choose which creatures to swim with I think I'll pick the Dolphins. But I hope to to catch another glimpse of the Jellyfish sometime... from a safe distance of course.;)