According to some, jellyfish resemble vibrant floating umbrellas and one of animals without brains. Yeah, stinging sea parasols that float. These animals with no necks are among the most ferocious and hardy animals on the planet. There are about 200 different types of jellyfish, each with its own distinct color, size, and habit. We present interesting information on the various species of jellyfish in this article because there is so much more to learn about these fascinating critters. Given that jellyfish are invertebrates, we don’t anticipate that they will have shells or bones. We will discuss different types of jellyfish in the world.
You might not be aware that these aquatic animals, often known as sea jellies, are devoid of brains, blood, and hearts. About 1% of a jellyfish’s body is made up of solid material; most of its body is made up of water (the jelly in jellyfish). These transparent animals have bodies made up of a flexible dome in the form of a saucer, bell, bottle, or box, as well as oral arms, a mouth, a stomach, and tentacles. World Jellyfish Day is celebrated annually on November 3 and honors the fact that jellyfish have been to outer space too. Hence, we’re going to discuss with you 10 different types of jellyfish,
Types of Jellyfish
1. Fried egg jellyfish
It is very clear where this jellyfish gets its name when viewed from above. The dome of it features a golden yellow circle in the middle, and the surrounding area is opaque white. It appears to be a broken egg floating in the water. The Mediterranean jellyfish and egg yolk jellyfish are other names for them. The fried egg jellyfish may expand to a width of 16 inches. Its oral arms and tentacles have purple and yellow tips on the free ends. If you are stung by an egg yolk jellyfish, you most likely won’t feel anything at all. Little fish and crabs can freely ride on their bells or hide inside their tentacles because their sting is so mild.
Also read: List of Aquatic Animals In The World
Image Source: Wikimedia
2. Lion’s mane jellyfish
The biggest kind of jellyfish is called a lion’s mane jellyfish, also known as an arctic red jellyfish. They have a maximum diameter of 8 feet and a maximum length of 120 feet. The bell of the lion’s mane jellyfish comprises eight lobes, and it is followed by roughly 150 tentacles. Their bells can be any shade of orange, including pale orange, tan, deep orange, and crimson red. The Arctic, North Atlantic, and North Pacific oceans, which are colder, are where we can discover the lion’s mane jellyfish species. They can be found in the Gulf of Mexico as well. In addition to small fish and zooplankton, they also consume other jellyfish. The venom and size of a lion’s mane are no match for larger fish, birds, sea turtles, and other predators.
Also Read: Top 10 Amazing Fish With Big Eyes
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3. Mangrove box jellyfish
The mangrove box jellyfish typically resides amongst the tree roots in coastal mangrove forests. From Florida, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean, you can locate them throughout central America. This box jellyfish has a bell that is about an inch long, 0.5 inches in diameter, and about the size of a grape. There are four clusters of 24 eyes on the mangrove box jellyfish. Two eyeballs in each cluster resemble human eyes in many ways. The mangrove box jellyfish stings are not harmful, despite the fact that several box species of jellyfish have very poisonous stings. Yet, the survival of this box jellyfish is in danger from humans.
Also read: Top 10 Terrifying Animals In The Mariana Trenches
Image Source: Wikipedia
4. Australian box jellyfish
The Australian box jellyfish is thought to be the most poisonous marine creature, and its sting is no joke. Within a few minutes, it can result in cardiac arrest, paralysis, and death. One of the box jellyfish species with venom potent enough to kill humans is this one, also known as the sea wasp. Australian box jellyfish have 10-foot-long tentacles and box-shaped bodies that can be as wide as one foot. Its tentacles are a pale blue-grey color, and its clear bell is transparent. Australian box jellies are among the few that have eyes; they are found in the oceans of Southeast Asia and Australia.
Image Source: Wikimedia
5. Irukandji jellyfish
The Irukandji jellyfish is incredibly small; at its widest, it measures only 2.5 cm. Despite its small size, its venom is potent. Among many other things, the venom of the Irukandji jellyfish can result in headaches, nausea, cardiac arrest, brain bleeding, or even death. In the corners of its bell are four retractable tentacles. The Irukandji jellyfish has stinging cells on its bells and tentacles, albeit the cells on the tentacles are distinct. Given their diminutive size, they are able to poison and consume tiny marine creatures. They have savage eyeballs on the bell’s four sides.
Image Source: Rob Williams
6. Bloody-belly comb jellyfish
The bloody-belly comb jellyfish is a deep-sea creature that dwells between 980 and over 3000 feet under the surface. They can be found in the oceans of Japan, southern California, and Canada. The jellyfish has no tentacles and can grow to be around 6 inches long. The bloody-belly jellyfish features eight rows of combs, a structure with hair-like tissue arranged like teeth on a comb, just like all comb jellies do. These combs are used by them for swimming and eating. It stands out from other comb jellies thanks to its brilliant and dazzling rows of combs.
Image Source: Wikimedia
7. Atolla jellyfish
This type of jellyfish, also known as the alarm jellyfish, crown jellyfish, or coronate medusa, is a deep-sea species that is undoubtedly fascinating to observe. When viewed from above, it resembles a floating iris with tentacles; when viewed from the side, it resembles a crown. One of its 20 tentacles gets longer than the others. The bell’s width is only 6 inches. The coronate jellyfish are found in the midnight zone, which is 13,000 feet beneath the surface of the ocean. The bright red coloring of the atoll jellyfish makes it look invisible. It is also bioluminescent, though.
Image Source: Wikimedia
8. Portuguese man o war
This kind of jellyfish is also known as a blue bottle jellyfish or a Pacific man of war. They can be discovered in the warm waters of the Sargasso Sea, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Gulf Stream of the northern Atlantic Ocean. Usually, they float on top of the water or slightly below it. The Portuguese man o war is so named because it resembles a warship from the 18th century and includes an air bladder or float that is filled with carbon dioxide. The peak of the bottle-shaped float functions as a sail for navigation. The tentacles can grow up to 98 feet long, while the float is typically about 11 inches long.
Image Source: Wikimedia
9. Flower hat jellyfish
The flower hat is one of the types of jellyfish is an incredibly beautiful animal. It features a bell that is transparent and covered in black pinstripe growths. The stripes develop into bioluminescent tentacles with vividly colored ends. For feeding around the bell, it has an additional set of spring-like tentacles. Around six inches across, the jellyfish with the flower cap. Flower hat jellies can be found in shallow coastal areas up to 180 feet deep in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They stay near the ocean floor during the day. At night, they float to the water’s surface to hunt for food.
Image Source: Wikimedia
10. Black sea nettle jellyfish
The bell of the black sea nettle, which can be up to three feet large, is deep purple rather than black. The bell’s tint lightens as it approaches the edge. Its pinkish oral arms can reach a height of around 29 feet, and its tentacles can reach a length of more than 25 feet. The largest invertebrate discovered in the 20th century, the black sea nettle, was only recently described by scientists in 1997. Periodic blooming black sea nettles are an unusual sight. Red tides are the only times the black sea nettle jellyfish have been spotted. The pacific butterfish receives nourishment and defense from the black sea nettle jellyfish. The jellyfish hide in the stomach of the butterfish when danger threatens and feed on the plankton that the butterfish collects.
Image Source: Wikimedia
11. Crystal Jellyfish
Crystal Jellyfish is one of the bioluminescent creatures mostly seen in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of North America. They have an important role in maintaining the ocean ecosystem by serving as primary prey for larger animals and even maintaining insights into water quality through their population health. The avarage lifespan in to the wild is up to 6 months in the wild and up to wo years in captivity. The primary diet includes comb jellies, other hydromedusae, and copepods.
Image Source: Wikimedia
12. Cauliflower Jellyfish
The common names of Cauliflower Jellyfish include Cauliflower Jellyfish, Sea Jellies, True Jellyfish, Transparent Crown Jellyfish, and Crown Sea Jelly. They prefer to thrive in Bays, lagoons, and estuaries and hence are mostly seen in the regions of the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. The avarage lifespan in the wild is upto 6 months or less. The body size is upto 7.8 inches tall and has a diameter of 6.7 inches.
Image Source: Wikimedia
13. White-spotted Jellyfish
White-spotted Jellyfish are one of the types of Jellyfish native to Australia and now have been migrated to many other areas. The primary diet usually consists of plankton and they can reproduce sexually and asexually. The body size of White-spotted Jellyfish is upto 20 inches and the average lifespan is upto 7 years. These jellyfish are usually seen in large groups and can move by floating and relying on ocean currents and winds.
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14. Narcomedusae Jellyfish
Narcomedusae Jellyfish is one of the types of jellyfish that belongs to the Cnidarian family. They are mostly seen in the regions of the Arctic to the Antarctic oceans, including all major oceans. It is also known as stalked jellyfish and the name comes from thier unique morphology. As of now, 50 known species of narcomedusae jellies are known to humans and they have the ability to filter food that they have caught as prey. They are opportunistic feeders and feed on small planktonic animals like copepods, krills, and small crustaceans.
Image Source: Wikipedia
15. Pink Meanie Jellyfish
Pink Meanie Jellyfish is one of the types of Jellyfish commonly known as pink meanies that was first observed on the Gulf Coast in 2000. The primary diet is carnivorous in nature that can reach upto 70 feet long and the average weight is 50 pounds. The scientific name is Drymonema larsoni and named after former DISL post-doctoral student Keith Bayha.
Image Source: Alien
16. Moon Jellyfish
Moon jellyfish’s scientific name is Aurelia labiata mostly seen in the waters of the northeast Pacific Ocean and frequent the waters of the Salish Sea. This looks like an alien and is named for its translucent, moonlike bell. The size of moon jellyfish is up to 24 inches (60 cm) in diameter and is mostly seen in Monterey Bay and along the California coast. The primary diet includes Zooplankton in coastal waters.
Image Source: Wikimedia
These are the 16 different types of jellyfish in the world. Kindly share and do post your comments.
