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“Not at all,” Bennett said with a halfhearted s-handled dip net in her hands “This procedure can be a little tricky at times”

Galoves and clear plastic face aze back to the undulating, vaguely cube-shaped fore acrobatic ballet Threadlike tentacles were attached to lacy fringe that rimmed each diaphanous creature Their bioluh to read a book by

“In all ,” Ga this beautiful”

“Or as deadly,” added Mayheho had come up behind her “The medusae in this tank produce a toxin that would put a cobra to shame”

Ga into her memory

“This is a box jellyfish, isn’t it?” she asked

“That’s right Chironex fleckeri, the sea wasp There have been al, which can kill a huest that we stand back and give Dr Bennett some room”

Dr Bennett pulled the mask over her face and dipped the net in the tank

To Gamay’s surprise, the jellyfish didn’t shy away fro one and transfer it to a beaker In the process, the color of the jellyfish deepened and the pulsating becaitated

“I’ve never seen jellyfish act in that fashion before,” she said “They’ll usually try to avoid any threat they perceive”

“Jellyfish are predators,” Mayhew said, “buttheir meals quite by chance The eye in jellyfish is more acutely developed, which means it can see rather than sense its prey Combined with its jet-propulsion capabilities, a jellyfish actually can chase down its intended meal”

Slowly shaking her head, Gamay said, “I’m not sure I understand You said ‘most species’ Didn’t you say these were box jellyfish?”

Dr Mayhew realized that he had said more than he had intended

“I o,” he said “Actually, it’s closely related to the sea wasp, but ressive”

“I’ve never seen a sea wasp quite that color,” she said