PB & J (Painful Blisters and Jellies) | The Institute for Creation Research

 
PB & J (Painful Blisters and Jellies)

Jellyfish

Jellies (commonly termed "jellyfish") of the phylum Cnidaria (ni-dah'-ree-ah), class Scyphozoa, are amazing creatures composed of 96% water.

Where did the jellies (and the 10,000+ other species of the Cnidaria) come from? According to three evolutionary zoologists, "The origin of the cnidarians [jellyfish, sea anemones] and ctenophores [comb jellies] is obscure. . . ."1 Creation scientists see jellies as always being jellies, both today and in the fossil record where modern-looking Cnidaria are in sediments dated by evolutionists at over a half-billion years old.

The case for design is "clearly seen" (Romans 1:20) throughout the cnidaria (e.g., jellies having two peculiar interconnected nerve nets and a hydrostatic skeleton). This includes a tiny lethal device called the cnidocyte that contains a nematocyst—a stinging, container-like structure. Swimmers who brush up against long beautiful tentacles of the Portuguese man-of-war (class Hydrozoa) containing many batteries of nematocysts risk serious blistering injury or even death. The sea wasp (class Cubozoa) off the Australian coast has complex eyes and is one of the deadliest creatures on earth. The venom of a single sea wasp is more potent than a cobra's, and can kill over 50 people. But no one told the sea turtle that eats large amounts of these delicious cubozoans.

Recently, a jelly was discovered with red glowing appendages, supposedly to lure prey.2 Although some are known to undergo bioluminescence (see Origins Issues, "Living Light," Acts & Facts, January 2003), this unique genus (Erenna) produces two colors (blue-green and red) by two different methods: bioluminescence and fluorescence. Another discovery of a unique jelly—one having no tentacles but four to seven fleshy arms—was found in deep water off the coast of California.3 The role of this creature, nicknamed "big red," in the ocean ecosystem is largely unknown.

Because jellies are mostly water, one would not expect to find fossils of them, especially with the traditional evolutionary explanation of gradual fossil formation. Once they are washed ashore, jellies immediately begin to decompose—with or without the brutal sun—into a slimy, gelatinous mass. But in 2002, unmistakable jellyfish fossils, some 50 centimeters in diameter, exhibiting "features nearly identical to those observed in modern scyphozoan strandings," were found in Wisconsin.4 This obviously means they had to be rapidly and catastrophically buried under conditions like . . . a flood perhaps? Evolutionists are aghast at such a suggestion and instead propose, "Because there were not any birds back then [500 million years ago], the carcasses remained stranded until they were buried by subsequent storms."5 But the jellies wouldn't last that long—they're mostly water. The satisfying creation adage of "floods forming fossils fast" applies here.

  1. Integrated Principles of Zoology, WCB Publishers, 1997, p. 275.
  2. Gosline, Anna, "Deep sea predator creates red light zone," Newscientist.com, July 8, 2005.
  3. Bhattacharya, S., "Bizarre new jellyfish discovered," Newscientist.com, May 7, 2003.
  4. Hagadorn, J.W., Robert H. Dott Jr., Dan Damrow, Geology, February, 2002, vol. 30, p. 147.
  5. Mason, B. "Jellyfish jackpot," Newscientist.com, January 27, 2002.

Cite this article: Frank Sherwin, D.Sc. (Hon.). 2005. PB & J (Painful Blisters and Jellies). Acts & Facts. 34 (10).

The Latest
NEWS
Marine Mammals: Designed for Deep Diving
While you’re reading this, hold your breath. What is now happening is your blood is delivering the last of oxygenated blood cells to your tissues...

CREATION PODCAST
Humanity's Demise at the Hands of Genetic Entropy | The Creation...
Welcome to the fourth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old earth...

NEWS
''Inside-Out'' Fossil is Amazingly Preserved
It is widely known that vast numbers of fossils—vertebrate and invertebrate—have been discovered incredibly well-preserved.1,2...

NEWS
The Resurrection and the Origin of Life
At Easter time we focus on the cardinal Christian doctrine of the Resurrection. Without the Resurrection, Christianity is a sham. The truth that Jesus...

NEWS
Is an Ancient Extinct Tree-Dweller Our Relative?
Human evolution has always been hazy with seemingly as many attempted explanations for how we evolved from animals as there are paleoanthropologists. Evolutionists...

NEWS
The Return of the Dire Wolf?
There’s been much recent excitement about the birth of three dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) puppies by a Dallas-based biotech company: Colossal Bioscience....

CREATION PODCAST
Cracks in the Layers: Lake Suigetsu and the Old Earth Illusion...
Welcome to the third episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old earth...

NEWS
Fish Fossil Vomit
A rather unsavory news story recently appeared regarding fossilized vomit. Although it’s hardly dinner table conversation, it nonetheless supports...

NEWS
Dino Footprints Down Under
Dinosaur trackways1 are once again making the news. Australia is the setting of a remarkable series of dinosaur tracks attributed to ornithischian...

NEWS
April 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things...