Upside-down Jellyfish

Description:

Called "Upside Down Jellyfish", because it lies on its back, so that the bell touches the ground. This jellyfish, many times mistaken for a sea anemone, usually has its mouth upward on the bottom. Its bell, which is yellow-brown with streaks and spots that are white or pale, vibrates to make the water flow through its arms for respiration and the obtaining of food. This jellyfish also lives in a symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic dinoflagellate algae, the Zooxanthellae, and with shrimps. The Zooxanthellae live in the tissues of the ventral surface of its body and it is the responsible for the color of it. As the Zooxanthellaeon gets food for the Cassiopea andromeda, in response, it gets the sunlight that is necessary for the photosynthetic dinoflagellate algae. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassiopea_a...

Habitat:

Commonly found in shallow mangrove swamps, mudflats, and turtle grass flats

Notes:

Spotted near the Tangat Gun Boat Wreck, Coron, Palawan. Looked like covered with sesame seeds :-)