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Crystal jellyfish

Distribution : Mediterranean · Atlantic Ocean · Indian Ocean · Pacific Ocean · Caribbean Sea

Copenhagen, 1775. A book describing animals from Egypt and Arabia appears under the name of Peter Forsskål, who had died twelve years earlier in Yemen. The naturalist had accompanied a Danish expedition from which Carsten Niebuhr was the sole survivor. It was Niebuhr who brought Forsskål's notes into print, including a description of the many-ribbed jellyfish under a name no longer in use. A transparent jellyfish, a few pages preserved after a deadly journey, and the painstaking work of the man who made it home.

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Habitat of Crystal jellyfish Habitat
Open water
Depth range of Crystal jellyfish Depth
1-150 m
Biological group of Crystal jellyfish Group
Ecological role of Crystal jellyfish Role
Predator

Average size

Ø 25 cm

Precautions

Its sting is mild, but you should still avoid touching it.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

The radiating pattern of aequorea (Aequorea forskalea) is sometimes easier to see than its body. The radial canals, the lines between centre and rim, cross a transparent umbrella, the jellyfish’s fairly flattened bell.

Brown to dark blue, these lines outline the disc. Numerous long, fine tentacles occur around its rim, equally subtle within the transparent form.

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?

It lives in open water and forms part of the plankton. It occurs both near the surface and at greater depths, carried by currents. Its presence varies with environmental conditions.

WHAT DOES IT EAT?

The crystal jelly’s tentacles retain small crustaceans and other planktonic organisms. Prey also include hydromedusae, comb jellies and appendicularians. Stinging cells act during capture, after which food enters the gastric cavity. Enzymes break down tissues before undigested remains leave through the mouth. Feeding combines capture around the transparent outline with internal processing, sometimes visible through the thin body.

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Crystal jellyfish

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