I have studied many random topics, from sand and salt to octopuses and truffles, because I am a weirdo. But I have always been interested in jellyfish (I repeat, I am a weirdo), and know next to nothing about them. Jellyfish, despite the red herring of a name, are not fish but invertebrates, cold-blooded animals without backbones. This makes them cousins to marine animals such as crabs and lobsters, and even land-dwellers, such as spiders (Gack. I will never be able to look at them the same way). Most species of jellyfish differ greatly from each other, in everything from size to their venom to their habits. They can be anywhere between half an inch and a hundred feet long, and some join together in groups called blooms. The venom in a jellyfish’s tentacles is still active even if the jellyfish is dead and can cause considerable distress in any form such as rashes, pain, vomiting, muscle aches or even death. An interesting thing about jellyfish is that they are growing in population due to global warming, unlike most species of animals. I did wonder why this is- what is it about jellyfish that make them not just immune to climate change, but thrive in it? The reason is that the warmer oceans are now acidic with carbon dioxide that harms any competition for jellyfish. Their predators are also being fished out of the water by humans. In conclusion, jellyfish are fascinating creatures with interesting abilities that lead to their growing population.