They are found in the eastern Pacific from Canada to Mexico and are found in both surface waters and depths of 200ft. Did you know that they use light sensing organs called “ocelli” for diel/diurnal vertical migration from deep water to surface water? This means they can sense changes in light levels that prompts them to move up and down in the water column. Their bell can be a foot to even 3 feet wide and their tentacles can reach lengths of 16 feet. They feed primarily on fish and eggs, pelagic snails, and zooplankton, which can include other jellies! The sting of their tentacles is harmful to humans, but not so much to their predators which includes sea turtles, large fish, and sea birds. However since a lot of their predators populations have been decreasing (no thanks to us) and jellyfish do not have a high oxygen demand, their populations have been increasing! And if jellies eat larval fish, then fewer of them are making it to adulthood to increase fish populations which are also being depleted due to overfishing by humans. Everything is connected and every animal plays an important role!
Originally posted 30 June 2019
(orange/pink pictures mine, other one not)
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