Pacific sea nettle

Chrysaora fuscescens · The Pacific sea nettle is a golden-brown jellyfish living in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, from British Columbia to Mexico.

Also called West Coast sea nettle.

Pacific sea nettle
Photo: Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
Pacific sea nettle
Photo: Josh B, CC BY-SA 2.0
Pacific sea nettle
Photo: Defi22, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCnidaria
ClassScyphozoa
OrderSemaeostomeae
FamilyPelagiidae
GenusChrysaora
SpeciesChrysaora fuscescens

Where it lives

North-east Pacific, from British Columbia down the US West Coast to Mexico.

Fun facts

  • Its trailing oral arms and tentacles can stretch as far as 15 feet (4.6 m) behind it.
  • Its bell can grow larger than one meter (3 feet) across in the wild, though most are under 50 cm.
  • It swims by jet propulsion, squeezing its bell to push water behind it, though it mostly just floats.
  • It uses light-sensing organs called ocelli to migrate from deep water up toward the surface.

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