Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

The Marmot Lake

In the Republic of Palau, one of the most unique lakes in the world is located on the island of Eil Malk. It's a salty lake, a piece of sea that got caught. It was filled when the sea level rose 12,000 years ago, and when the sea receded, it became isolated. Ongeim'I Tketau (fifth lake) is the official name of the lake, but it is much more known as the "jellyfish lake".

It is a small lake with a length of 420 m and a depth of 30 m. And it's composed of two layers that don't mix. Below 15 meters, there is an oxygen-free, sulfhydryl-rich layer. Up there, the oxygen layer. In this second layer live a few fish, some anemone, and millions of jellyfish.

At dawn, the golden jellyfish (Mastigias papua) are concentrated on the west side of the lake. And as the sun rises in the sky, the jellyfish begin to move eastward. After a few hours of swimming towards the east, they stop without reaching the shaded area of the trees. And after midday, they leave again in the afternoon to the west. They will spend the night there, and the next morning they will begin the same journey.

Avoiding the shadow is the reason for this daily journey. In fact, the golden jellyfish need the sun to photosynthesize the algae that live in symbiosis in their tissues, because these algae produce the food for the jellyfish. In addition, the anemone Entacmaea medusivora, which eats sloppy jellyfish, also lives in the shade. Therefore, it is convenient for them to walk as far away from the shadow as possible.

Tourists who visit the lake can swim among the golden jellyfish. They're not dangerous. In fact, they have irritating cells, but they are unable to penetrate human skin. Whoever enters the water with glasses and a tube, millions of jellyfish will be waiting for him