Sea Nettles

Description:

Not yes assessed by the IUCN. It hunts tiny drifting animals by trailing those long tentacles and frilly mouth-arms, all covered with stinging cells. When the tentacles touch prey, the stinging cells paralyze it and stick tight. From there, the prey is moved to the mouth-arms and finally to the mouth, where it's digested. There is mounting evidence that human influences in coastal habitats may be creating conditions more favorable to jellies, leading to an increased frequency of blooms and reduced populations of larval fishes. They may seem insignificant when washed up on a beach, but gelatinous animals are certainly worthy of our attention and study. The high abundance of sea nettles makes scientists believe they play a significant role in the planktonic food chain.

Habitat:

In open water, and coastal waters off Alaska to California, Japan, Kamchatka, the Aleutian Islands and the Bering Sea.

Notes:

Taken at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, CA.