By Anne Bartalucci
Geographic Range
Nearshore waters of northern Australia and adjacent areas of the tropical Indo-West Pacific. Also found in southeastern Asia.
Biogeographic Regions:
australian 
(native ); indian ocean (native ).
Reproduction
In sexual reproduction, fertilized ovum develops into a planula, which settles and forms a polyp that attaches to the underside of a rock. In asexual reproduction, creeping polyps shed new polyps. Final shape comes with metamorphosis of polyp into a young medusa, from which an adult emerges. Life span of only months. Gather in river mouths and estuaries in late summer to spawn and then die.
Behavior
Do not intentionally sting humans. Sting with tacticle stimulation. In order to fire, stinging cells must be chemically stimulated. Chemicals come from surface of fish, shellfish and humans. Solitary.
Food Habits
Feeds on large active prey, primarily sergestid prawns along with plankton, shrimp and small fish. Feeds in shallow water, which has led to contact with humans. The medusa lifts food up its mouth by means of a feeding appendage called a pedalium.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
This species may negatively impact tourism for Australia's oceans.
Other Comments
An individual sea wasp enough venom to kill 60 adult humans. Death occurs rapidly. They can grow to be as big as a basketball, but they are square in shape, with 60 tentacles, each 15 feet long and 1/4 inch thick. Sea wasps are strong swimmers. They can swim in bursts of up to 5 feet per second, a velocity of 2m/sec and acceleration of 40,000 x gravity. They can see very well(has 4 eye groups). Some animals, like the sea turtles, can eat sea wasps without being stung.
For More Information
Find Chironex fleckeri information at
Contributors
Anne Bartalucci (author), University of Michigan.
