Question: how do jellyfish sting and what is in it that makes it hurt?

Jasmine answered on 6 Nov 2018:

Jellyfish sting because they have hundreds and thousands of special cells on their tentacles. Each cell has a tiny needle inside which shoots out and sticks into your skin when you touch a jellyfish. Not only does the tiny needle hurt when it pricks you but the special cells also contain venom and the tiny needle works just the same as when you have an injection. When the tiny needle pierces your skin the venom is injected into you. The venom is transported around your body in your bloodstream and, if the sting is very serious, you might start to feel sick or you might develop a headache. Most of the time though it won’t be this serious and you might feel an itch or you might feel like you’ve been stung by nettles. These special cells can’t be seen with the naked eye. You have to use a microscope to see them and this is what I do in my lab.