Does the immortal jellyfish live forever?

Scientists have discovered a jellyfish which can live forever. The Immortal Jellyfish known scientifically as Turritopsis dohrnii is now officially known as the only immortal creature. The secret to eternal life, as it turns out, is not just living a really, really long time.

Can a Turritopsis dohrnii die?

Theoretically, this process can go on indefinitely, effectively rendering the jellyfish biologically immortal, although in practice individuals can still die. In nature, most Turritopsis dohrnii are likely to succumb to predation or disease in the medusa stage without reverting to the polyp form.

How is Turritopsis nutricula immortal?

In a process that looks remarkably like immortality, the born-again polyp colony eventually buds and releases medusae that are genetically identical to the injured adult. In fact, since this phenomenon was first observed in the 1990s, the species has come to be called “the immortal jellyfish.”

What does the Turritopsis dohrnii eat?

They eat plankton, tiny molluscs, larvae and fish eggs. They might be ‘kind of immortal’, but the immortal jellyfish are not impervious to all threats.

Does Turritopsis dohrnii have a brain?

Turritopsis dohrnii are not technically immortal, but they do not die either. These same tentacles can release deadly amounts of toxic venom that kills their prey before it is digested. Because jellyfish do not have a brain, and a heart, the whole process of feeding is a lot more passive when compared to other animals.

Does DNA Live Forever?

The molecule of life has a lifespan of its own. A study of DNA extracted from the leg bones of extinct moa birds in New Zealand found that the half-life of DNA is 521 years. So every 1,000 years, 75 per cent of the genetic information is lost. After 6.8 million years, every single base pair is gone.

Is it possible to keep an immortal jellyfish as a pet?

Yes it is possible to keep Turrilopsis dohrni or the immortal jellyfish as a pet. You may not see much as they are quite tiny being only a sixth of an inch! I don’t see much of a point. There are MANY OTHER immortal creatures that you can keep as pets that are more visible.

Are ‘immortal’ jellyfish the key to eternal life?

The Immortal Jellyfish known scientifically as Turritopsis dohrnii is now officially known as the only immortal creature. The secret to eternal life, as it turns out, is not just living a really, really long time. It’s all about maturity, or rather, the lack of it.

What are the Predators of the immortal jellyfish?

Some predators of the jellyfish include other jellyfish, sunfish, some sea turtles and humans. Occasionally birds and other fish will bite around the non-venomous inner tissue of the jellyfish, dodging the outer tentacles altogether.

What is the jellyfish that lives forever?

There is a species of jellyfish that theoretically live forever; it is called the Turritopsis dohrnii. It lives in the Mediterranean Sea and around the waters of Japan.