The Jellyfish Lake Edition

Colin here. Swimming in a lake filled with jellyfish is not on most people’s bucket lists. But in the Republic of Palau in Micronesia, there is a 12,000-year-old lake on Eil Malk island filled with non-stinging jellyfish. It is, predictably, quite a draw for those who make it to the hyper-remote island.

Photo: Getty

According to CBS:

While some jellyfish, like the box jellyfish, can kill a person within minutes, the inhabitants of Jellyfish Lake are benign. If felt, their sting would cause no more than mild discomfort… Just 20,000 years ago, the area used to be a dry depression, but when sea levels began to rise, jellyfish got trapped in the area and created the phenomenon, according to marine researcher Gerta Ucharm. The jellies get their energy much the way plants do — from the sun. Each morning, they migrate with it, moving east in the morning and west in the afternoon.

The specific type of jellyfish found in the lake is a unique subspecies, Mastigias papua etpisoni, named after former President Ngiratkel Etpison. They can be found nowhere else in the world.

Why is this interesting?

It’s not all fun and games. Snorkeling in the lake is allowed, but Scuba is not. If a diver were to venture further down, it could be deadly. According to the CBS piece:  “About 45 feet below the surface, the lake turns into a layer of pink bacteria, and below that is a poisonous layer of dissolved hydrogen sulfide gas.” Divers can be poisoned through their skin. 

All organisms that require oxygen live in the top layer, especially the jellyfish, a few other species of fish, and some crustaceans.

Marine biologists and researchers are currently studying the fluctuations in the lake’s jellyfish numbers over time: Weather patterns created by El Nino resulted in a significant drought in Palau in 2015/2016 that had adverse effects on the entire jellyfish population.  Should you wish to keep up, the Coral Research Foundation continues to study and gather data about this natural (and highly psychedelic) phenomenon. (CJN)

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Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN)

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