A high density of "water pandas" was found in a reservoir in Chun'an! They are older than dinosaurs

Recently, a high density of moon jellyfish was discovered in the Papaya Reservoir in Zhongzhou Town, upstream of Wuqiang Creek, a tributary of Qiandao Lake.

These water elves are round in shape, about 1.5-2 cm in diameter, and transparent throughout, like a bunch of open umbrellas swimming lightly in the water. The soft and delicate linear tentacles on the edge of the "umbrella" dance gently, and the overall look is like peach blossoms floating in the water.

The peach jellyfish is one of the rare aquatic species in the world. It is the only jellyfish species that lives in freshwater bodies. It has extremely high requirements for the water environment and can only survive in pollution-free, slightly acidic waters with few human traces. At present, there are 11 species of peach jellyfish in the world, 9 of which are in China. It is a world-class endangered species.

Its history can be traced back to 550 million years ago. It is a veritable "living fossil" with extremely high research and ornamental value, so it is known as the "giant panda in the water."

The Papaya Reservoir where the peach blossom jellyfish was discovered was built in 2011. Most of the water from the upstream of the reservoir comes from Huangjian Township, Xiuning County, Anhui Province, and a small amount of water comes from the tributary of Gaosuntang Natural Village in Papaya Village. After the migration down the mountain many years ago, the source of the tributary is no longer affected by human life, and the water quality is clear. The peach blossom jellyfish discovered this time is just in the bay of this mountain stream mouth reservoir, which needs to be studied and verified.

Wang Xiaqin, reporter of Orange Persimmon Interactive and Metropolis Express

Photography: Fang Changjian

Correspondents Mao Lihong and Yu Huilan