by Guest Author Mila M. (age 5)
I love sea animals. In fact, jellyfish are my favorite. I hope my article gets you to like them too. I find jellyfish to be very beautiful, because of their many bright colors, glowing in the dark, and cool shapes. They have been around for almost 600 million years, so they are extra interesting. Here are some facts about my favorite kinds of these fun creatures.
1. Moon Jellyfish (my most favorite of them all)
These jellyfish have bodies shaped like a saucer, with very short tentacles attached. They use these tentacles to catch plankton for dinner. The moon jellyfish can be found in most parts of the ocean, but not in very cold waters. They grow up to 12 inches (30 centimeters). A fun fact: they are the most popular (widespread) jellyfish.
Photo courtesy of Georgia Aquarium
2. Deep-sea Jellyfish
Deep-sea jellyfish have some tentacles that are held straight up. This creature belongs to a group called coronate jellyfish. They are shaped like a bell wearing a ballet tutu. This jellyfish can squirt out a big cloud of ink and grows up to 35 centimeters.
Photo courtesy of Alamy Images
3. Mauve Stinger
This jellyfish is gorgeous because of the beautiful bioluminescent light it emits, but it is also a mean stinger. (Bioluminescence is when a deep-sea animal glows). They have eight stinging tentacles and their sting is very painful, but not dangerous. This jellyfish grows up to 5 inches (13 centimeters) long. The Mauve Stinger lives near the surface, so be careful around it!
Courtesy of New York Post
4. Immortal Jellyfish (super cool and unusual, my sister’s favorite jellyfish)
This is the only creature on earth that can actually live forever! These jellyfish are able to reverse their life cycle. They live in oceans all around the world. The Immortal jellyfish eats plankton, and is tiny at about 4.5 millimeters or 0.18 inches long. Its predators are swordfish, penguins, sharks, tuna, sea turtles, sea anemones, and larger jellyfish. If an Immortal Jellyfish is frightened it turns back into a baby and restarts its life cycle. How unbelievable is that!?
Photo courtesy of The American Museum of Natural History
5. Lion’s Mane Jellyfish
The Lion’s Mane Jellyfish is the biggest jellyfish in the world. Its bell body can reach a diameter of almost 8 feet, and with tentacles, it can grow up to 100 feet long. That’s huge! It eats fish, larvae, eggs, and tiny crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, barnacles). This jellyfish only has one predator. Can you guess which one? A sea turtle! Don’t stand near this jellyfish, though, because the tentacles can sting you. The Lion’s Mane jellyfish lives in cold waters.
Photo courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium
I hope you liked my article and are more interested in these creatures now. Next time you’re swimming at the beach in the ocean, watch out for some of these guys!
Sources:
“Ocean. The Definitive Visual Guide”, Fabien Cousteau, Rob Dunn, Isobel Comley
American Museum of Natural History
Monterey Bay Aquarium
The Lighthouse 