Monday, June 23, 2008

Jean-Michel Jarre and Jellyfish

The French call jellyfish "meduse" for Medusa, obviously. It's funny how things of such gossamer elegance can be so violently toxic.




The Dallas Aquarium had leafy sea dragons at one time (and may still do). They are exquisite and impossibly fragile-looking, and fascinating to watch, but it somehow seems horrific to me to keep them in an aquarium, no matter the size of the space. I don't know-- maybe they are as common as cockroaches in some distant ocean, but they have the air of rarity and remoteness about them and seem so out-of-place here. They are other-worldly and seem like they could come drifting through a cactus-filled moonscape, dancing to a Martin Denny soundtrack.

5 comments:

g bro said...

What about the mood lighting to encourage sea dragon breeding? Sometimes I think we're a little bit too involved. ;-)

Rare male sea dragon pregnant

HollyB said...

I heard on the news that the City is going to cut its funding of the Aquarium due to rising fuel costs. Not that it costs that much to keep the A open...no it is becoming too expensive to fuel the city's fleet of cars and trucks, esp all those PO-leese cars that have to be on patrol.

And when I say "cut", I had the impression they were going to STOP funding it all together. I may be wrong. Since I don't live there, it's not like I actually HAVE a horse IN that race...just mentioning it for all you Dallasites who may not have caught the same newscast on Channel 5.

Buck said...

I'd never seen sea dragons until today... and they are mesmerizing, no? Thanks, Phlegmmy.

I HAVE had the bad luck of being jelly-fish stung, tho, on several occasions. And that HURTS.

Anonymous said...

They are beautiful sea creatures aren't they? Lovely.

Barbara Bruederlin said...

a cactus-filled moonscape - what a lovely image! Perfect for such lovely creatures.