Moon jellyfish

Aurelia aurita · The moon jellyfish is a nearly see-through jelly that lives in the north Atlantic Ocean, including the Baltic Sea, and off Argentina.

Also called Moon jelly, Common jellyfish, Saucer jelly, Northern moon jelly.

Moon jellyfish
Photo: I, Luc Viatour, CC BY-SA 3.0
Moon jellyfish
Photo: André Karwath aka Aka, CC BY-SA 2.5
Moon jellyfish
Photo: Alexander Vasenin, CC BY-SA 3.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCnidaria
ClassScyphozoa
OrderSemaeostomeae
FamilyUlmaridae
GenusAurelia
SpeciesAurelia aurita

Where it lives

Coastal waters of most of the world's temperate and tropical seas.

Fun facts

  • Despite growing up to 40 cm (16 in) wide, its body is almost completely see-through, with four horseshoe-shaped gonads visible right through its bell.
  • It catches plankton, small mollusks, fish eggs and even other jellyfish using short, fine tentacles, then pulls the prey into its body to digest.
  • Its sting is so mild that most people who touch it feel little or no reaction at all.
  • The young, bottom-dwelling polyp stage of this jellyfish can go for months without eating anything.

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