Jellyfish are spectacular, quite baffling creatures, with extraterrestrial-like options and a penchant for excessive depths. Often known as sea jellies, these gelatinous nonfish lack brains, blood, and hearts. Numerous and, we have now to confess, cool, jellyfish can differ in measurement, coloration, form, and habits. (As an illustration, some sting people and a few do not.) Extra concerning the marine animal continues to be consistently being found.
Listed below are 10 distinctive sorts of jellyfish which might be each fascinating and delightful.
Cauliflower Jellyfish
The cauliflower jelly (Cephea cephea) is called so due to the wartlike projections on its bell. Discovered within the mid-Pacific, the Indo-Pacific, and the Atlantic Ocean off of West Africa, the topped jelly—because it’s typically additionally referred to as—is an oceanic species that may develop comparatively massive, reaching diameters of as much as two toes.
Mangrove Field Jelly
The mangrove field jelly (Tripedalia cystophora) is likely one of the smallest jellies within the sea—rising to be solely the dimensions of a grape. However what’s much more distinctive is its cube-shaped medusa, a notable deviation from the acquainted dome silhouette of most jellies. Its distinct squareness permits this cool jellyfish to maneuver quickly by means of the water.
Crystal Jellyfish
Within the waters off North America’s West Coast lives the crystal jellyfish (Aequorea victoria), a sort of jellyfish that’s fully colorless and has lengthy, wispy tentacles lining its glasslike bell. The remarkably beautiful creature appears to be like crystal clear within the daylight—therefore its title—however its transparency belies a brighter facet: Crystal jellyfish are literally bioluminescent, glowing green-blue when disturbed.
White-Noticed Jellyfish
White-spotted jellies (Phyllorhiza punctata)—identified for his or her speckled crowns—reside within the western Pacific, from Australia to Japan. They’re filter feeders that may sift by means of greater than 13,000 gallons of water a day every of their quest for minuscule zooplankton.
The draw back of their presence is {that a} swarm of them can clear an space of zooplankton, leaving none for the fish and crustaceans that additionally depend on them. Within the Gulf of California, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea, they’re thought-about an invasive species.
Upside-Down Jellyfish
The upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea) rests its bell on the floor of the seafloor and swims with its stubby oral arms dealing with the sky. It does this to show the symbiotic dinoflagellates residing in its tissues to the solar, permitting them to photosynthesize, the Monterey Bay Aquarium says. The upside-down jelly is present in heat water, equivalent to that round Florida and the Caribbean.
Black Sea Nettle
Regardless of its title, the black sea nettle (Chrysaora achlyos) is definitely crimson in coloration, like many different deep-sea dwellers. The wealthy coloration permits them to mix in with the darkish water. It is discovered deep within the Pacific off Southern California and is a huge amongst jellyfish. Its bell can attain three toes in diameter, its arms 20 toes lengthy, and its stinging tentacles 25 toes lengthy. As a result of they are not usually discovered within the wild and tough to lift in captivity, black sea nettles are nonetheless comparatively obscure.
Fried Egg Jellyfish
It is apparent the place the fried egg jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata) received its title. Its yellow bell is surrounded by a lighter ring, usually resembling an egg yolk. The mouth-arms of the fried egg jellyfish (additionally referred to as the Mediterranean jellyfish) are truncated, and there are longer projections with disklike ends, giving it the look of a dome dotted with purple and white pebbles. This species survives for less than about six months, from summer time to winter, dying when the water cools down.
Lion’s Mane Jellyfish
The lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) is the most important identified jellyfish species, capable of develop as much as six and a half toes lengthy. The typical size is a foot and a half. Its “mane” is made up of a whole lot (typically greater than a thousand) of tentacles divided into eight clusters. Typically referred to as the Arctic crimson jellyfish or the bushy jelly, it lives within the boreal waters of the Arctic, northern Atlantic, and northern Pacific Oceans.
Atolla Jellyfish
Ocean Networks Canada / Flickr / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The Atolla jellyfish (Coronate medusa) is extensively distributed all over the world. Like many different deep-sea dwellers, this tremendous cool jellyfish has bioluminescent skills, however it does not use its bioluminescence to draw prey like the remainder. As an alternative, it glows to discourage predators.
When an Atolla jellyfish is attacked, it creates a sequence of flashes that appeal to much more predators, with hopes of them being extra within the unique attacker than the jellyfish itself. That is why such a jellyfish has additionally been referred to as the alarm jellyfish.
Narcomedusae
Kevin Raskoff / Wikimedia Commons / Public Area
The Narcomedusae—its scientific title is usually shortened to “narcos”—is a quite unusual-looking species of jellyfish that may have a whopping dozen or extra abdomen pouches. To maintain them full, it is going to swim whereas holding its lengthy, poison-filled tentacles out in entrance of it. Scientists consider this helps them ambush prey extra successfully.
