Box Jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) are among the most venomous creatures in the world. To coordinate their movement underwater they rely on a nerve ring around the base of the umbrella as well as on their 24 eyes.
Box jellyfish have four different types of special-purpose eyes. The most primitive set detects only light levels, but one set of eyes is more sophisticated and can detect the colour and size of objects almost similar to human eyes.
Four of those eyes are located around the corners of their cube shaped bell, which enables them to coordinate easy and fast through the ocean while actively avoiding obstacles. Scientists go as far as suggesting that the Box Jellyfish is able to visually detect it’s prey before swimming towards it.
Also, researchers have found that box jellyfish actually have the closest thing a known jellyfish has to a brain. Tests have shown that they have limited memory, and limited ability to learn.
All these listed skills make this species sound more like an incredibly adapted mutant species of any regular jellyfish, which is partly true. The Box Jellyfish defines its own species (‘Cubozoa’) in the Phylum Cnidaria, separate from the species ‘Scyphozoa’ also known as ‘True Jellyfish’.
The fact that a jellyfish is able to see, detect and hunt prey, especially a deadly poisonous one, can be terrifying for most swimmers in fear of their stingers. But we have to remember that a large human being would not be seen as intended prey by a box jellyfish. Stings on humans would not occur as an “attack” rather than as the unfortunate result of not being able to avoid the painful contact with the person.