Boy finds jellyfish in Omaha lagoon
Posted: Thursday, July 26, 2007
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- An Omaha boy feeding the fish in a downtown lagoon Sunday used a soda bottle to scoop up a freshwater jellyfish floating in the water.
And the director of the Henry Doorly Zoo says thousands more of the quarter-sized, umbrella-shaped jellyfish may be in the water at the Gene Leahy Mall.
"If they find one, there's undoubtedly thousands of them," said Dr. Lee Simmons. "They can reproduce, but they just mostly go unnoticed."
The jellyfish likely made its way to the lagoon carried on the feet or feathers of a duck or another bird, Simmons said.
The tentacles of freshwater jellyfish contain stinging cells, but Simmons said they aren't known to be able to penetrate a human's skin.
The boy, 13-year-old Gunner Reese, plans to keep the jellyfish as a pet. He named it Angelina Jolie, after the actress.
"I thought it fit. It kind of matched," he said.
And the director of the Henry Doorly Zoo says thousands more of the quarter-sized, umbrella-shaped jellyfish may be in the water at the Gene Leahy Mall.
"If they find one, there's undoubtedly thousands of them," said Dr. Lee Simmons. "They can reproduce, but they just mostly go unnoticed."
The jellyfish likely made its way to the lagoon carried on the feet or feathers of a duck or another bird, Simmons said.
The tentacles of freshwater jellyfish contain stinging cells, but Simmons said they aren't known to be able to penetrate a human's skin.
The boy, 13-year-old Gunner Reese, plans to keep the jellyfish as a pet. He named it Angelina Jolie, after the actress.
"I thought it fit. It kind of matched," he said.
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 0 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
