What is the Turritopsis dohrnii?

The Turritopsis dohrnii is a small jellyfish. Its body is bell-shaped, about 4-5 mm in diameter, and its body is transparent. You can see its red digestive system. It looks like a lighthouse, hence its name. How long does a Turritopsis dohrnii generally live? Where does a Turritopsis dohrnii live? Let's learn more about Turritopsis dohrnii!

Contents of this article

1. What is the Turritopsis dohrnii?

2. Lifespan of the Turritopsis dohrnii

3. Where does the Turritopsis dohrnii live?

What is the Turritopsis dohrnii?

The Turritopsis dohrnii is a small jellyfish. It has a bell-shaped body, about 4-5 mm in diameter, and a transparent body with a red digestive system visible, which looks like a lighthouse, hence the name. The stomach of the Turritopsis dohrnii is huge and bright red, with a cross-shaped cross section. It mostly lives in tropical waters. It is carnivorous, feeding on plankton, small crustaceans, polychaetes and even small fish. The Turritopsis dohrnii can reproduce asexually from a polyp, and is the only known organism that can revert from sexual maturity to the larval stage.

Lifespan of Turritopsis dohrnii

According to research, scientists have observed nearly 4,000 Turritopsis dohrnii, and all of them have regained their youth, with none dying of natural causes. Turritopsis dohrnii is a marine carnivorous animal, an ancient coelenterate that first appeared 500 million years ago. It can achieve eternal life through repeated asexual reproduction.

The Turritopsis dohrnii can reproduce asexually from its polyp and is the only known organism that can revert from sexual maturity to the larval stage.

Turritopsis dohrnii mostly lives in tropical waters. It is carnivorous and feeds on plankton, small crustaceans, polychaetes and even small fish.

The Turritopsis dohrnii is a small jellyfish with a bell-shaped body, about 4-5 mm in diameter, and a transparent body with a red digestive system visible, which gives it its name because it looks like a lighthouse.

Where does the Turritopsis dohrnii live?

The Turritopsis dohrnii lives in the sea and is a type of jellyfish. After reaching sexual maturity, it will return to the polyp state and can repeat this process indefinitely, thus possessing the ability to rejuvenate.

The Turritopsis dohrnii was first discovered in the Caribbean Sea. Since the number of individuals does not decrease during reproduction, the number increases rapidly and spreads to all oceans. The "rejuvenation" process may be achieved through the process of cell transdifferentiation. The process of the Turritopsis dohrnii adult to larvae is to transform somatic cells into powerful stem cells. The transformed stem cells are somewhat similar to embryonic cells and can re-divide into new tissues or life. In the past, people believed that the process of life development was irreversible, so people believed that somatic cells could not return to the stem cell state. In this process, the type and function of cells will change. And the regeneration of organs accompanies this functional transformation. Perhaps it is this process of cell change that has created the immortal body of the "Turritopsis dohrnii".