Editing Box jellyfish (section)

== Ecology ==

=== Age and growth ===
It has been found that the statoliths, which are composed of [[Calcium sulfate|calcium sulfate hemihydrate]], exhibit clear sequential incremental layers, thought to be laid down on a daily basis. This has enabled researchers to estimate growth rates, ages, and age to maturity. ''[[Chironex fleckeri]]'', for example, increases its inter-pedalia distance (IPD) by {{convert|3|mm|in|frac=32|abbr=on}} per day, reaching an IPD of {{convert|50|mm|0|abbr=on}} when 45 to 50 days old. The maximum age of any individual examined was 88 days by which time it had grown to an IPD of {{convert|155|mm|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Pitt">{{cite book |author1=Pitt, Kylie A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zr_EBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA280 |title=Jellyfish Blooms |author2=Lucas, Cathy H. |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |year=2013 |isbn=978-94-007-7015-7 |page=280}}</ref> In the wild, the box jellyfish will live up to 3 months, but can survive up to seven or eight months in a science lab tank.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-12-14|title=Australian Box Jellyfish: 15 Fascinating Facts|url=https://travelnq.com/australian-box-jellyfish/|access-date=2021-12-06|website=Travel NQ|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Behavior ===
The box jellyfish actively hunts its prey (small fish), rather than drifting as do [[Scyphozoa|true jellyfish]]. They are strong swimmers, capable of achieving speeds of up to 1.5 to 2 metres per second or about {{convert|4|knots}}.<ref name="National Geographic Online"/> and rapidly turning up to 180° in a few bell contractions.<ref name="Avian2021"/> Some species are capable of avoiding obstacles.<ref name="Avian2021"/>

The majority of box jellyfishes feed by extending their tentacles and accelerating for a short time upwards, then turn upside-down and stop pulsating. Then the jellyfish slowly sinks, until prey finds itself entangled by tentacles. At this point the pedalia fold and bring the prey to the oral opening.<ref name="Avian2021"/>

The venom of cubozoans is distinct from that of scyphozoans, and is used to catch prey (small fish and invertebrates, including [[prawn]]s and [[bait fish]]) and for defence from predators, which include the [[Stromateidae|butterfish]], [[Ephippidae|batfish]], [[rabbitfish]], [[crab]]s ([[Portunus pelagicus|blue swimmer crab]]) and various species of [[turtle]] including the [[hawksbill sea turtle]] and [[flatback sea turtle]]. It seems that sea turtles are unaffected by the stings because they seem to relish box jellyfish.<ref name="National Geographic Online"/>

=== Reproduction ===
[[File:Chiropsalmus quadrumanus.png|thumb|Box jellyfish species ''[[Chiropsalmus quadrumanus]]'' contradicts the belief that Cubozoans are [[semelparous]].]]
Cubozoans usually have an annual life cycle. Box jellyfish reach sexual maturity when their bell diameter reaches 5 millimeters.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=Lewis |first1=Cheryl |last2=Long |first2=Tristan A. F. |date=2005-06-01 |title=Courtship and reproduction in Carybdea sivickisi (Cnidaria: Cubozoa) |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-005-1602-0 |journal=Marine Biology |language=en |volume=147 |issue=2 |pages=477–483 |doi=10.1007/s00227-005-1602-0 |issn=1432-1793|url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[Chirodropida]] reproduces by [[external fertilization]]. [[Carybdeida]] instead reproduces by [[internal fertilization]] and is [[ovoviviparous]]; sperm is transferred by spermatozeugmata, a type of [[spermatophore]].<ref name="Avian20212">{{cite book |last1=Avian |first1=Massimo |title=Invertebrate Zoology: A Tree of Life Approach |last2=Ramšak |first2=Andreja |publisher=CRC Press |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-4822-3582-1 |editor-last=Schierwater |editor-first=Bernd |chapter=Chapter 10: Phylum Cnidaria: classes Scyphozoa, Cubozoa and Staurozoa |editor-last2=DeSalle |editor-first2=Rob}}</ref> Hours after the fertilization, the female releases an embryo strand that contains its own nematocytes; both euryteles and isorhizas.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rodríguez |first=J. C. |date=2015 |title=Anatomy associated with the reproductive behavior of Cubozoa |journal=Institute of Biosciences of the University of Sao Paulo |publication-place=Sao Paulo}}</ref> Cubozoas are the only class of cnidarian that contains species that perform the “wedding dance” to transfer the spermatophores from the male into the females, including the ''Carybdea sivickisi'' species.<ref name=":02" />

It is previously believed that medusa species only reproduce once in their life before dying a few weeks later, a semelparity lifestyle.<ref name=":02" /> Alternatively, in July 2023, the box jelly species ''Chiropsalmus quadrumanus'', were found to potentially have iteroparous reproduction, meaning they reproduce multiple times in their life. Oogenesis appears to happen numerous times as oocytes are discovered in four stages; pre-vitellogenic, early vitellogenic, mid vitellogenic, and late vitellogenic.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=García-Rodríguez |first1=Jimena |last2=Ames |first2=Cheryl Lewis |last3=Jaimes-Becerra |first3=Adrian |last4=Tiseo |first4=Gisele Rodrigues |last5=Morandini |first5=André Carrara |last6=Cunha |first6=Amanda Ferreira |last7=Marques |first7=Antonio Carlos |date=July 2023 |title=Histological Investigation of the Female Gonads of Chiropsalmus quadrumanus (Cubozoa: Cnidaria) Suggests Iteroparous Reproduction |journal=Diversity |language=en |volume=15 |issue=7 |pages=816 |doi=10.3390/d15070816 |issn=1424-2818 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Continuous research needs to be conducted to determine if box jellyfish are semelparity or iteroparous, or if it is species dependent.