Immortal Jellyfish

The creature that defies death:

The good news is that you can be immortal. The bad news is that you have to
become a floating blob of jelly to do so. Scientists have discovered a jellyfish
which can live forever
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. Its
all about maturity, or rather, the lack of it. The immortal jellyfish (as it is better
known popularly) propagate and then, faced with the normal career path of dying,
they opt instead to revert to a sexually immature stage. It turns out that once the
adult form of the 4.5 mm-wide species Turritopsis Dohrnii have reproduced, they
dont die but transform themselves back into their juvenile polyp state. Their
tentacles retract, their bodies shrink, and they sink to the ocean floor and start
the cycle all over again. Among laboratory samples, all the adult Turritopsis
observed regularly undergo this change. And not just once: they can do it over and
over again.
Thus, the only known way they can die is if they get consumed by another fish or
if a disease strikes the jelly. However, there are still many mysteries surrounding
the turritopsis Dohrnii. While the process of reverting from its adult-phase to a
polyp was observed several times, it hasnt been observed yet in nature, only in
laboratory environments.

How old is the oldest immortal jellyfish?

You might want to know how old the oldest immortal jellyfish is, but
unfortunately there is no answer to this.
No turritopsis Dohrnii has been observed in a laboratory for an extended
period of time, and there is no other way to establish the age of an
individual.

How do they remain immortal?

The process that lets the turritopsis remain immortal is called transdifferentiation
and it involves one cell converting from one type to another.
Thus, when the jellyfish reaches maturity, its cells can convert and it becomes a
polyp again.

Wont they populate the whole earth if they are immortal?

They are only biologically immortal, they still can be eaten by

predators (and they certainly are eaten). But nonetheless, they are
seen in new territories where they havent been seen before, as they
are easily transported worldwide by cargo ships.

What is their habitat?

The immortal jellyfish prefers warmer waters, although it has been
spotted in colder areas as well. They originate from the Caribbean Sea
(nutricula) and the Mediterranean (Dohrnii).

What do they feed on?

Their diet consists of plankton, fish eggs and small mollusks.

Are there immortal jellyfishes on sale?

No... not yet !
Adult

The process of reformation is called

immature stage

transdifferentiatin

Keeping them in Laboratories:

Keeping turritopsis Dohrnii in captivity is quite difficult. Currently only one
scientist, Shin Kubota from kyoto University, has managed to sustain
a group of these jellyfish for a prolonged period of time. The plankton
must be inspected daily to ensure that they have properly digested
the Artemia cysts they are being fed. Kubota reported that during a
two-year period, his colony rebirthed itself 11 times!!! Kubota regularly
appears in Japanese media to talk about his immortal jellyfish and
has recorded several songs about them.

Sources:
http://immortal-jellyfish.com/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/01/090130-

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