Species spotlight: Who’s that Jellyfish?
In celebration of World Jellyfish Day last November 3, let’s take a look at a mystery species that may be just as whimsical as those featured in a popular global franchise. Its most defining feature are their tentacles that can grow 100 times longer than it is wide, at a length of 40 meters — which is actually longer than a blue whale¹! Take note that each jellyfish can also have as much as 1600 tentacles², so be careful when you’re out in the open ocean or you might just get stung! The sheer number of tentacles is what gives the species its common name, due to its resemblance to a characteristic feature of a famous feline.
Have you guessed our species spotlight?
It’s… Cyanea capillata, the Lion’s Mane Jellyfish! Living up to its powerful namesake, the Lion’s Mane uses its tentacles to basically cast a net over a large area, trapping unsuspecting prey³. These Arctic and Northeast Atlantic residents pose a significant stinging hazard to unsuspecting swimmers⁴. So, if you find yourself navigating the waters from Iceland to France or venturing as far north as Svalbard and east to Russia, stay vigilant for the Lion’s Mane jellyfish!
One interesting article from 2014 studies the way that C. capillata moves to provide insight for a variety of applications such as vehicle propulsion, energy harvesting, synthetic heart valves and animal foraging⁵. Truly, we’re surrounded by fascinating creatures which rival renowned virtual critters.
Happy World Jellyfish Day 🪼!
If you want to learn more about Cyanea capillata, check out its SeaLifeBase page.
Written by: Jasper Mendoza, Research Assistant
[1] Sigurdsson, G. M., Lüskow, F., Gislason, A., & Svavarsson, J. (2024). Detached tentacles of lion’s mane jellyfish Cyanea capillata can injure aquaculture fish. Aquaculture Environment Interactions, 16, 263–266.
[2] Colin, S. P., & Costello, J. H. (2007). Functional characteristics of nematocysts found on the scyphomedusa Cyanea capillata. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 351(1–2), 114–120.
[3] Titelman, J., Gandon, L., Goarant, A., & Nilsen, T. (2007). Intraguild predatory interactions between the jellyfish Cyanea capillata and Aurelia aurita. Marine Biology, 152, 745–756.
[4] Cyanea capillata, Lion’s mane. (2024). Sealifebase.ca. https://sealifebase.ca/summary/Cyanea-capillata.html
[5] Villanueva, A. A., & Priya, S. (2014). Cyanea capillata bell kinematics analysis through corrected in situ imaging and modeling using strategic discretization techniques. PloS one, 9(12), e115220.
If you have more information on jellyfish and other non-fish organisms, we’ll be happy to have you as one of our collaborators. Let us know by sending us an email or visiting our Facebook page.
**Graphics and photos used in this blog was made and sourced from Canva.
