The outfall of the Linyuan ocean wetland park in Kaohsiung has recently been overflowing with bristleworms. A conservation volunteer who came into contact with a bristleworm was left in pain for between four and five days.
The Linyuan ocean wetland park is also known as “Jellyfish lake” due to its upside-down jellyfish. Recently, there has been the addition of bristleworms. Although, the two are separate species, they share a similar characteristic: both possess a mild poison. President of the Linyuan mangrove forest conservation society, Su Wen-hua, says during the summer holiday, children are occasionally seen playing in the water and called on them not to do so, in order to avoid coming into contact with bristleworms or jellyfish by accident.
Su says bristleworms are often found in salt lakes. Due to fish becoming more prevalent in the wetland park, there is an abundant supply of food for the bristleworms, which is why they are assembling in ever larger numbers. Because bristleworms like to move around in water, they currently only exist in the outfall of the Linyuan ocean wetland park. Su emphasised, bristleworms are not harmful. In fact their diet mainly consists of fish carcasses and organic detritus. For this reason they are also known as “sweepers,” since they improve they quality of water.
Photo: Hung Chen-hung, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者洪臣宏
A conservation volunteer, using their own body to test the poison, discovered the sting from an upside-down jellyfish will last for over a week and the bristleworm’s sting will last for between four and five days, although both are not easily provoked. Su said capturing fish is forbidden at the wetland park and he hopes that visitors will not try to flip over upside-down jellyfish or bristleworms, or play in the water, so as to avoid being stung.
(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)
Photo: Hung Chen-hung, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者洪臣宏
高雄林園海洋濕地公園出水口最近滿布剛毛蟲，有保育志工碰觸後痛了四、五天。
林園海洋濕地公園因倒立水母而有「水母湖」之稱，最近又多了剛毛蟲，兩個不同物種卻有著一個相同特性，就是都具有微毒性。林園區紅樹林保育學會理事長蘇文華說，正值暑假偶見學童戲水，呼籲不要下水以免誤碰。
蘇文華說，剛毛蟲常見於潟湖，濕地公園的魚類愈來愈多，剛毛蟲食物來源充足，才會愈聚愈多。因喜歡在流動水域生存，目前只存在林園海洋濕地公園出水口。他強調，剛毛蟲不是害蟲，事實上牠以魚屍等腐質有機物為食，有「清道夫」之稱，可以改善水質。
有保育志工「以身試毒」，發現被倒立水母螫到會痛上一星期，剛毛蟲也會痛個四、五天，都不是好惹的。蘇文華說濕地公園禁止捕魚，他也希望遊客不要去抓倒立水母、剛毛蟲或戲水，以免被螫到。
(自由時報記者洪臣宏)
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