10 Exceptional Jellyfish Species

By Author: Sattam Jha
Total Articles: 31
Comment this article

Many think of jellyfish are some of the smallest animals found in the ocean, but they come in all different sizes. Around 2000 jellyfish types have been documented, but scientists estimate that there could still be over 300,000 species yet to be discovered. That’s a lot of jellies…

In no particular order, we have put together ten alien yet beautiful looking marine animals that will raise your eyebrows and make you think twice about what’s really out there in the big blue. If you love jellyfish so much, then you have to check out these jellyfish gift ideas!

Cauliflower Jellyfish: The cauliflower jelly is named because of the wart-like projections on its bell, which look like the vegetable. The species itself is so beautiful.

They are found in the mid-Pacific to the Indo-Pacific. In the Atlantic Ocean off West Africa, the cauliflower jelly is a marine species that can grow large, reaching 1.5 to 1.9 feet in diameters.
Like its vegetable name, it is something you will find on your dinner plates. Well, in China and Japan, anyway. The species is considered a delicacy and also is utilized for medicinal ...
... purposes.

Crystal Jellyfish: The crystal jellyfish lives in the waters off North America’s west coast, a species that is colorless and has about 150 delicate tentacles lining its glass-like bell.

This gorgeous jellyfish appears crystal clear in the sunlight. But the transparency covers a brighter side.

As per the Monterey Bay Aquarium, “Crystal jellies are luminescent jellies and glow brightly with glowing points around the margin of the umbrella. The components needed for bioluminescence include a Calcium++ activated photoprotein known as aequorin, which radiates a blue-green light, and an accessory green fluorescent protein (GFP), which receives energy from aequorin and re-radiates it as a green light. Scientists have made ‘green mice’ that glows green under blue light by inserting the GFP gene taken from the crystal jelly into the mice. The glowing protein is widely used as a natural highlighter that helps scientists find and study genes more quickly.”

White-spotted Jellyfish: White-spotted jellies are one of the species you don’t have to be afraid of. The mild venom isn’t an issue for humans. These filter feeders focused on minuscule zooplankton, and one of them can filter about 13,000 gallons of water a day for a meal.
The downside of this species is a swarm of white-spotted jellies can clear an area of zooplankton, leaving none for the fish and crustaceans that also are the meal for the microscopic critters. They are considered an invasive species found in areas such as the Gulf of California, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea; their voracious appetite poses an issue for native species from corals to shrimp.

Bloodybelly Comb Jellyfish: This species can win the contest for the coolest name. You need to see this one in action with the sparkling light show it puts on. Make sure to watch till the end when it opens up like a spaceship coming out of the space.

Though, the blood belly comb jelly isn’t related to jellyfish. They do not possess the large stinging tentacles and are not harmful to humans. But for in tentacles, they make up for in cilia, tiny hair-like projections they beat back and forth to help move it through the water. It is the movement of the cilia that does the colorful light show.
Despite looking like a showoff, the blood belly comb jelly’s red color makes it almost invisible in deep water where they’re found. Red looks black in more depths. The red belly can also help mask the bioluminescent glow of the prey the comb jelly eats, keeping it extra safe from predators’ attention.

Black Sea Nettle: Another red inhabitants of the deep are the black sea nettle. This species is a giant among jellyfish found in the deepwater of the Pacific in southern California. Its bell can reach up to 3 feet across, its arms can be about 20 feet in length, and its stinging tentacles can be about 25 feet in length.
Though it is enormous, the species is new to science but not well known. Part of this is because they’re tough to raise in captivity, and they aren’t often found in the wild. There have been some surface blooms of black sea nettles, with the giant invertebrate species found in large numbers. Other than the blooms, where black sea nettles are located and what they’re up to is still a bit of a mystery.
Flower Hat Jellyfish: This rare colorful and odd species are endemic to the Western Pacific, the coast of Southern Japan, and also found in waters off of Brazil and Argentina. Rather than pushing their way through the ocean, flower hat jellyfish are often found near the ocean floor among seagrasses where catch preys like small fish.
They may look gorgeous, but you can’t get close to them. They pack a nasty sting. As per the Monterey Bay Aquarium, “Blooms of the flower hat jellies make swimming in waters off Argentina risky. The sting of this jelly is painful and leaves a bright rash. In Brazil, the flower hat jellies’ bloom interferes during shrimp fishing; the jellies clog their nets and drive shrimp away, probably to deeper water.”

Mediterranean/Fried Egg Jellyfish: Cotylorhiza tuberculata is commonly known as the Mediterranean jellyfish or the fried egg jellyfish. The jellyfish bell has a lighter ring surrounding it, and when seen from a certain angle, they look very much like favorite breakfast food.

The mouth-arms of this jellyfish are shortened and have longer projections with disk-like ends. The overall effect of all these makes it look dotted with purple and white stones. This species survives for only about six months, from summer to winter, and dies when the water cools down.

The species feeds on zooplankton, not on fish. Juvenile fish can hide inside the fried egg jellyfish’s tentacles for protection, and small species of crabs will hitch a ride on the bell.

Atolla Jellyfish: The Atolla jellyfish, also known as Coronate medusa, is a deep-sea jelly found worldwide. Like many species of animals living in the deep, it has bioluminescent abilities too. But unlike many of them that use bioluminescence to attract prey, this species uses it to keep from getting preyed. Whenever an Atolla jellyfish is attacked, it will make a series of flashes that spins like the police siren light. This attracts more predators, who hopefully will be more interested in the original attacker than the jellyfish, giving the jellyfish a chance to escape.
This strategy has given the species their nickname, the “alarm jellyfish.”

Narcomedusae: It’s Narcomedusae. This unusual looking species of jellyfish has two stomach pouches. To fill those pouches with a lot of prey, it will hold its long tentacles out in front of it while swimming. Scientists think this makes them a more effective ambush predator.
According to Creature Cast, “Some species of Narcomedusae (affectionately called narcos by the people who study them) can grow inside their own mother, who provides nourishment and a safe environment. The narco babies can then leave their mother, find another jellyfish of an entirely different species, attach to its flesh, and thrive on the nourishment and safe environment it provides.”

ANIMA is a unique marine life image bank based in Fremantle, Western Australia. You can also order a print of any artwork from the image bank. Visit the image bank: https://www.anima.net.au/image-bank/

ANIMA is a unique marine life image bank based in Fremantle, Western Australia. Specializing in accurate, realistic illustrations of fishes, crustaceans, and a wide range of aquatic creatures as well as underwater drawings, paintings of coral reefs, and Australian fish identification guides.