Lesson plan
Chirodectes
Chirodectes is a very rare, monospecific genus of box jellyfish in the family Chirodropidae. The first and only scientifically studied specimen was captured from the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef – about off the coast of northeast Queensland – on 2 May 1997. It was found within of the surface, and the researchers who first described it speculated that it may have been relocated to the area by Cyclone Justin. Its bell measured approximately in height, and it could only be observed for several hours in an examination lab due to how delicate it was. There are no recorded cases of a human sting from Chirodectes as it "failed either to sting, or adhere to, the hand and forearm of an incautious volunteer" during the examination, but it is assumed – due to its relatively large size and to the extremely venomous nature of some chirodropids – that Chirodectes is itself venomous. A video of the Chirodectes was recorded underwater before it was collected. Four photos captured from the original 1997 video were published in the scholarly journal Memoirs of the Queensland Museum in 2005. In December 2021, a jellyfish was filmed by a scuba diver off the coast of Papua New Guinea, which prompted Lisa-ann Gershwin, the marine biologist who first described the genus Chirodectes, to examine the video.…
Article summary
Chirodectes is a very rare, monospecific genus of box jellyfish in the family Chirodropidae. The first and only scientifically studied specimen was captured from the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef – about off the coast of northeast Queensland – on 2 May 1997. It was found within of the surface, and the researchers who first described it speculated that it may have been relocated to the area by Cyclone Justin. Its bell measured approximately in height, and it could only be observed for several hours in an examination lab due to how delicate it was. There are no recorded cases of a human sting from Chirodectes as it "failed either to sting, or adhere to, the hand and forearm of an incautious volunteer" during the examination, but it is assumed – due to its relatively large size and to the extremely venomous nature of some chirodropids – that Chirodectes is itself venomous. A video of the Chirodectes was recorded underwater before it was collected. Four photos captured from the original 1997 video were published in the scholarly journal Memoirs of the Queensland Museum in 2005. In December 2021, a jellyfish was filmed by a scuba diver off the coast of Papua New Guinea, which prompted Lisa-ann Gershwin, the marine biologist who first described the genus Chirodectes, to examine the video.…
Key claims
- publication date: 2005 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- The record states that the publication date is "2005". What evidence would count against this claim?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
- Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1300640386
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.