Aquascope

Facts

Catch food with the whole of their body

The number of jellyfish is not only of importance when we go swimming. Mass occurrences can obstruct cooling water intakes to certain types of industries. Medusae can also fill fishing tackle and damage them. They also, by eating fish eggs and larvae together with plankton, that could have been nourishment for the young fish spawn, jellyfish can inadvertantly affect the amount of fish that are important for the fishing industry.
    The medusae of the moon jellyfish can eat most of the organisms that exist in the open seas: for example plankton algae, single cell creatures, other medusae, copepods and many other types of larvae. The particle size of their food varies from a few hundreths of a millimetre to more than 10 centemetres. The medusae can catch particles with the whole of their body, but larger prey or prey that has a tendency to flee, needs to be paralyzed or killed by its stinging cells.
Tentacles and sensory organs

The stinging cells (cnidoblasts) on the mouth arms and tentacles of the moon jellyfish can kill or injure their prey. In the middle of the picture can be seen one of the eight depressions where the several sensory organs are accumulated.


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Medusae and polyps

Many jellyfish

Catch food with the whole of their body

Jelly eaters


Moon jellyfish     More facts     Other names
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© Vattenkikaren 1999   Tjärnö Marine Biological Laboratory, Strömstad, Sweden
Bo Johannesson | Martin Larsvik | Lars-Ove Loo | Helena Samuelsson