What does Medusa mean in Greek mythology?

What does Medusa mean in Greek mythology?

Medusa – whose name probably comes from the Ancient Greek word for “guardian” – was one of the three Gorgons, daughters of the sea gods Phorcys and Ceto, and sisters of the Graeae, Echidna, and Ladon.

Is Medusa a jellyfish?

Medusa, in zoology, one of two principal body types occurring in members of the invertebrate animal phylum Cnidaria. It is the typical form of the jellyfish.

Can a jellyfish kill a human?

Believe it or not, a tiny little jellyfish takes the title for the most venomous creature on Earth! Just getting part of a tentacle on your skin is enough to kill a person within 2 minutes.

What is the function of Medusa?

The medusa form is generally small and short-lived. Its primary function is to carry out sexual reproduction and to allow the species to disperse to different locations. Hydrozoa are classified based on the presence of a membrane called the velum that lines the inside edge of the bell in the medusa forms.

Is Coral a polyp or medusa?

In the class Anthozoa, comprising the sea anemones and corals, the individual is always a polyp; in the class Hydrozoa, however, the individual may be either a polyp or a medusa, with most species undergoing a life cycle with both a polyp stage and a medusa stage.

Does Medusa reproduce asexually?

In the adult, or medusa, stage of a jellyfish, they can reproduce sexually by releasing sperm and eggs into the water, forming a planula. During this stage, which can last for several months or years, asexual reproduction occurs.

Do corals have Medusa?

Corals, sea anemones and jellyfish belong to a group of animals called cnidarians. There are two basic cnidarian body shapes: a polyp form, which is attached to a surface; and an upside-down free-floating form called a medusa.

Why is jellyfish called Medusa?

A jellyfish is called a Medusa The shape of this bell is called a medusa because it looks like the evil Medusa in Greek mythology – a woman who had offended the goddess Athena who then changed her hair into snakes and made her face so hideous it turned people into stone.

What is an example of a Medusa?

Sea anemones are examples of the polyp forms, while jellyfish are examples of the medusa forms. In the current classification, the Cnidaria phylum is divided into two major groups, Anthozoa and Medusozoa, based on the structure of polyps and the existence of a medusa stage in the life cycles (Fig. 1).

What part of the body is the Medusa?

lip

Does the Medusa hurt?

Do Medusa Piercings Hurt? Because a medusa piercing is just a single puncture, the process is very quick. Like most piercings, there is mild pain – usually described as a fast pinch – but most people find it to be tolerable.

Is jellyfish a polyp or medusa?

Jellyfish have a stalked (polyp) phase, when they are attached to coastal reefs, and a jellyfish (medusa) phase, when they float among the plankton. The medusa is the reproductive stage; their eggs are fertilised internally and develop into free-swimming planula larvae.

Can a polyp become a Medusa?

If the polyp shape is turned upside down, it becomes the medusa shape of the jellyfish. …

Does a polyp turn into a Medusa?

In organisms that exhibit both forms, such as members of the cosmopolitan genus Obelia, the polyp is the asexual stage and the medusa the sexual stage. In such organisms the polyp, by budding, gives rise to medusae, which either detach themselves and swim away or remain permanently attached to the polyp.