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Box Jellyfish Sting: Australian Rachel Shardlow, 10, Very Lucky

by NowPublic Staff | April 27, 2010 at 08:56 am

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Box Jellyfish Tangles With 10 Year Old Aussie Girl

The Box Jellyfish is one of those deadly creatures of the sea that is why scientists in Australia are marveling that a 10 year old girl, Rachel Shardlow, is still alive after being stung by the deadly jellyfish.

Shardlow was swimming near Gladstone, in the province of Queensland when the she encountered the box jellyfish.

The creature didn't just sting the girl. It enveloped her: Its tentacles wrapped around her limbs and wouldn't let go. She couldn't see or breathe. The creature, which is capable of killing an adult in four minutes, wrapped its tentacles tighter and knocked her unconscious.

Rachel Shardlow's 13 year old brother pulled his sister who soon went unconscious onto shore. Rachel Shardlow spent six weeks in hospital recovering from her injuries.

Scientists are simply astounded that she survived such severe stings from the box jellyfish, one of the world's most venomous creatures.

Zoology and tropical ecology associate professor at James Cook University, Jamie Seymour, says the girl's survival after such an extensive sting is unheard of.

"I don't know of anybody in the entire literature where we've studied this where someone has had such an extensive sting that has survived," he said.

"When I first saw the pictures of the injuries I just went, 'you know to be honest, this kid should not be alive'. I mean they are horrific.

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hidflect

at 16:18 on April 27th, 2010

Amazing. Ahh... a day at the beach in Oz. I remember the jellyfish stings well. Lucky she wasn't bitten by the deadly poisonous octopii that live at another part of the Oz coastline. There's no cure for that one either.

Bailey Shiban (not verified)

at 18:11 on April 30th, 2010

Oh my god, this is incredible that she survived a sting from the world's most deadly creature. Because i know for a fact that in under 4 minutes, an adult is killed by their stings; so i think it's just outstanding that she lived. She did get very, very luck indeed.