Welcome to another episode of Random Fish Fridays! Today we will take an in-depth look at the Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita).
The Moon Jellyfish is known by many names, including Common Jellyfish, Moon Jelly and Saucer Jelly. It can grow to a size of 16 inches in diameter and lives along the temperate coasts of the Atlantic Ocean.
The four circles visible from the top of the bell are gonads, their reproductive organs.
The Moon Jellyfish does not have gills or lungs and "breathes" by drawing oxygen rich water into it's body cavity where it diffuses the oxygen through a thin membrane covering it's body.
The Moon Jellyfish feeds by trapping plankton, mollusks and smaller jellyfish in it's dangling tentacles then slowly drawing them up into it's body where they are digested.
The Moon jellyfish has many natural predators including leatherback sea turtles, ocean sunfish and sea birds. In the wild they tend to only live about six months, but in captivity they often live to be several years old.
An interesting recent discovery about the Moon Jellyfish is that they are capable of lifecycle reversal where they can actually grow younger instead of aging.
I hope you have enjoyed this look at the Moon Jellyfish and maybe learned a thing or two along the way.
Until next time...