Scientists discover creepy creature with 24 eyes for first time in Hong Kong pond

A mysterious creature with 24 eyes has been discovered in a muddy pond in Hong Kong.

Scientists discovered it while observing the water in the Mai Po Reserve and determined it to be an entirely new species of jellyfish.

The new species is part of the box jellyfish family. It has a transparent body measuring less than an inch and three long tentacles.

The jellyfish has two dozen eyes divided equally into four groups of six, located in a sensory cavity called rhopalium on each side of the bubble.

This is the first discovery of new species of box jellyfish in Chinese waters and the fourth species in the Tripedaliidae family, which includes some of the highly venomous marine creatures found in tropical waters.

Box jellyfish, named for their body shape, have tentacles like poison darts that release a toxin that can cause paralysis, cardiac arrest and even death, all within minutes of being stung.

The Australian box jellyfish is considered the most venomous marine animal in the world.

“The class Cubozoa, commonly known as box jellyfish because of its cuboidal bells, consists of a small group of cnidarians with about 50 described species and is known to the public for containing some of the world’s most venomous marine life,” reads the study published in the academic journal Zoological studies.

A team of scientists led by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) observed the marine creature for three years and found increasing numbers in the brackish water of shrimp ponds in the Mai Po Nature Reserve.

The reserve features wetlands with shallow pools that drain into the Sham Chun River, Shan Pui River, and Tin Shui Wai Nullah

The team collected the jellyfish from the pond and analyzed its DNA and tissue, which led them to determine that it was a new species.

It is closely related to species from Jamaica, Florida, Singapore, Australia and India.

The two dozen eyes are divided equally into four groups of six, which are located in a sensory cavity called a rhopalium on each side of the bubble

The creature has three tentacles that are up to 10 centimeters long in the corners

The invertebrate belongs to the box jellyfish family and has a transparent body measuring less than an inch and three long tentacles — and it’s the first to be found in the region

Lead researcher Professor Qiu Jianwen said box jellyfish are “little known” in China’s marine waters and believes the discovery indicates a “rich diversity” of marine life around Hong Kong.

Both males and females were removed from the pond in 2022.

The “wings” of the female gonads are slender and extend from the stomach to the velarium, a thin sheet of muscle that forms the opening of the bell.

And the “wings” are yellowish in color.

The ‘wings’ of the male gonads are broad with rounded tips extending from the stomach to the velarium and are whitish.

The 24 eyes are standard for box jellyfish, and two of the groups would have had lenses that allow imaging, while the other four can only perceive light.

The creature has three tentacles that are up to 10 centimeters long in the corners.

A flat pedal-like structure at the base of each tentacle looks like a boat paddle, which allows box jellyfish to produce strong thrusts when they contract their bodies.

And this feature helps it swim faster than other types of jellyfish.

Box jellyfish can reach four knots while swimming, while other species drift with the current.

The new species is the only known one of its kind in the region, leading scientists to name it Tripedalia maipoensis in honor of the reserve where it was found.

“It is currently only known in Mai Po,” said Jianwen.

“We believe this species is also distributed in the adjacent waters of the Pearl River estuary, as they are connected to the estuary by a tidal channel.”