The sea turtle was exceptionally large, measuring about one and a half meters. Since Huo Sining stood behind it, she could only see the overlapping scutes and the carapace on its back. The turtle’s shell was smooth, adorned with patterns of brown and light yellow, and its limbs were fin-like.
Huo Sining did not recognize the name of this sea turtle, but it was indeed the first time she had seen one of such a large size. This sparked her curiosity, and she couldn’t help wanting to move around to the front for a better look.
However, before she had a chance to step forward, a jellyfish the size of a soccer ball suddenly drifted over from the other side of the coral reef.
Jellyfish are one of the most common planktonic creatures in the ocean, resembling a transparent umbrella in shape.
The jellyfish’s body mainly consists of water and is composed of two germ layers, with a thick mesoglea in between that is not only transparent but also buoyant.
When they move, they propel themselves by squirting water from inside their bodies. From afar, they look like round umbrellas swiftly floating through the water.
Some jellyfish have multicolored patterns on their umbrella-like bodies, which appear incredibly beautiful against the blue backdrop of the ocean.
Whether in tropical waters, temperate waters, shallow areas, seas about a hundred meters deep, or even freshwater regions, their presence can be found.
Jellyfish have been around for 650 million years, predating even the dinosaurs.
With over 250 species worldwide, they inhabit waters across the globe, living exclusively in the marine environment.
However, if you are so mesmerized by these crystal-clear, beautiful creatures that you forget yourself and want to touch them, then you’re in for a bad time.
Jellyfish may look fragile, but they are among the creatures with the strongest venom in the ocean, rivaling even that of the sea snake.
Despite their seemingly beautiful and gentle appearance, these creatures are incredibly fierce. Beneath their umbrella-shaped bodies dangle numerous filamentous, slender tentacles of varying lengths, serving both as digestive organs and weapons.
These tentacles are covered in microscopic nematocysts that are invisible to the naked eye. These nematocysts, like poison threads, can discharge venom. Once prey is stimulated by a jellyfish’s nematocyst, it quickly becomes paralyzed, and in severe cases, it can lead to death.
Take for instance, the world’s most venomous box jellyfish, also known as the Irukandji Jellyfish, which possesses a brain and heart, with nervous cells lining its tentacles.
When it feels threatened, the box jellyfish pierces the prey’s skin with its tentacles and releases venom. The venom invades the nervous system of the organism, paralyzing the muscles and respiratory system, leading to cardiac arrest. The time from poisoning to death can be as brief as a few minutes, making it a fearsome marine killer.
It is reported that the venom inside a single box jellyfish is enough to kill over 250 adults. Currently, around 70 people die each year worldwide from box jellyfish attacks.
Basically, if you get stung by one of these jellyfish, there’s almost no hope of survival unless you happen to have the antidote on hand!
But as far as Huo Sining knew, up to this point, no one in the world had discovered an antivenom for the box jellyfish.
Fortunately, this highly venomous creature is mainly found along the northern and eastern coasts of Australia as well as the Western Pacific Waters, and it does not exist in the Mindong area. Therefore, Huo Sining was not worried about encountering the danger.
However, upon suddenly seeing a jellyfish and before figuring out what type it was, Huo Sining thought it best to keep her distance from the creature. After all, even the least poisonous jellyfish was not something Huo Sining dared to provoke, as she had no antivenom.
And in this uninhabited wild sea, if she really got poisoned by a jellyfish, it would be like crying out with no one to hear—no one to save her.
Thus, Huo Sining did not act rashly but stared intently at the captivating jellyfish with her eyes.
However, at the next moment, a scene occurred that surprised Huo Sining and left her speechless with a wry smile.
The jellyfish, which Huo Sining was quite wary of, bounced up and down on the reef, and the moment it swam over the head of that huge sea turtle, in almost the blink of an eye, the sea turtle suddenly lifted its head, opened its massive mouth revealing sharp teeth, and in an instant, it swallowed the jellyfish whole.
This sight left Huo Sining dumbfounded, and the sea turtle, after eating the jellyfish, smacked its lips, displaying a somewhat dissatisfied expression as if it was complaining that the jellyfish was too skinny and lacking in meat.
The complex ocean environment, even more than terrestrial forests, exemplifies the primal laws of survival. Here, the struggles for existence are more intense, clearly reflecting the law of the survival of the fittest, where big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp. This scene made Huo Sining instantly think of a classic biological principle: survival of the fittest, survival of the adaptable.
Now that the jellyfish threat was gone, Huo Sining hurriedly approached the sea turtle, making her way around the reef to face it.
This sea turtle was not small in size, and although turtles are more docile than softshell turtles, after seeing the sea turtle’s predatory act, she felt a hint of dread, so she could only approach the turtle quietly, careful not to startle the creature resting with its eyes closed.
Upon this closer inspection, Huo Sining realized that the giant sea turtle had a curved, sharp upper jaw like an eagle’s beak, and its shell bore beautiful and colorful patterns, as radiant and eye-catching as gemstones.
Huo Sining did not know much about sea turtles, but from its beautiful appearance, she knew that this creature was definitely of a valuable species, especially since its carapace had 13 segments, which was very rare, indicating that the sea turtle was at least a hundred years old.
Turtles are often symbolized as emblems of health and longevity because of their lengthy lifespans. However, living to a hundred years old is not easy; it means that such a turtle has had to successfully evade predators for a hundred years and avoid being caught by humans.
So, upon seeing this creature, although Huo Sining immediately realized the sea turtle’s value, she did not wish to capture it right away but quietly approached to observe it up close.
Just as Huo Sining got within five meters of the large sea turtle, the sea turtle, which had been resting its eyes contentedly, finally sensed danger and opened its eyes.
Seeing the figure standing not too far away, a hint of tension and wariness flashed in the turtle’s eyes. It stretched out its limbs, which had been tucked under its shell, in a posture ready to attack and escape at any moment.