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An amputated arm? The jellyfish Cladonema pacificum doesn’t lose sleep over it. The lost body part grows back just as happily within a few days. How does the little creature (no bigger than a pinky nail) manage to do that? Scientists from the University of Tokyo (Japan) have finally figured this out.
Hopla, a new tentacle
If the jellyfish lose a tentacle, a special type of stem cells appears at the site of the wound. They are specifically aimed at tentacle recovery. They do this by forming a blastema, a clump of cells that can transform into a new tentacle. And that is damn handy, because the jellyfish really need their tentacles to hunt and eat.
Even shorter:
- Salamanders and earthworms can also grow new limbs. This is called regeneration.
- Sea cucumbers regurgitate their entire intestinal tract when a predator approaches. He is just as sweet with that. The intestines grow again.
- People also regenerate: even if our liver is damaged by seventy percent, it can be formed again.
Also interesting: What are the oldest animals in the world? Hint: there is a jellyfish among them.
