Lion's mane jellyfish

Cyanea capillata · The lion's mane jellyfish is one of the largest known jellyfish species, living in the cold Arctic, North Atlantic, and North Pacific Oceans.

Also called Hair jelly, Arctic red jellyfish, Giant jellyfish, Lion's Mane Jelly, Sea blubber.

Lion's mane jellyfish
Photo: Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa, CC BY 2.0
Lion's mane jellyfish
Photo: Arnstein Rønning, CC BY 3.0
Lion's mane jellyfish
Photo: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCnidaria
ClassScyphozoa
OrderSemaeostomeae
FamilyCyaneidae
GenusCyanea
SpeciesCyanea capillata

Where it lives

Cold waters of the North Atlantic, North Pacific and polar seas.

Fun facts

  • The largest lion's mane jellyfish on record, found off Massachusetts in 1865, had a 210 cm (7-foot) bell and tentacles about 36.6 m (120 ft) long.
  • Near its mouth alone, a lion's mane jellyfish can have around 1,200 tentacles in total.
  • A detached tentacle can still deliver a painful sting for up to 25 days after separating from the jellyfish.
  • Leatherback sea turtles feed almost exclusively on lion's mane jellyfish in large numbers each summer off Eastern Canada.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).