Discover Magazine. Science, Technology and The Future
Subscribe Today »
  • Renew
  • Give a Gift
  • Archives
  • Customer Service
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Newsletter
  • Health & Medicine
  • Mind & Brain
  • Technology
  • Space
  • Human Origins
  • Living World
  • Environment
  • Physics & Math
  • Video
  • Photos
  • Podcast
  • RSS

Galleries / Are Jellyfish Taking Over the World?

The browser you are currently using does not support Discover's photo galleries. Supported browsers include recent versions of Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 7 or later), Google Chrome, and Apple Safari.

If you have any questions or feedback, please email webmaster@discovermagazine.com. Thank you for reading Discover, and we apologize for the inconvenience.

published September 13, 2007

Stellamedusa Ventana

Aeginura grimaldii

Atolla jelly

Ctenophore

Nausithoe

Poralia rufescens

Praya siphonophore

Red lobate ctenophore

Solmissus incisa

Solmissus jelly

Stellamedusa ventana

<p>This lab photo highlights the bumps that give <i>S. ventana</i> its common name, "bumpy." Each one contains hundreds of stinging cells, used for capturing and holding on to prey.</p>
<p><i>A. grimaldii</i> is a narcomedusa, typically found at depths of 1,000 meters or more. Very little is known about this beautiful jellyfish.</p>
<p>Photographed about 1000 meters below the surface of Monterey Bay</p>
<p>To humans, this ctenophore is a beautiful light show. To tiny sea animals it's a predator with long, stinging tentacles.</p>
<p>Not an alien spacecraft but a deepwater jelly in Monterey Bay.</p>
<p>Medusa jellies are shaped like disks or bells, with a fringe of stinging tentacles. Most range from 1 to 16 inches in diameter.</p>
<p>The genus <i>Praya</i> probably contains the longest animals in the world; their tails or "stems" can grow up to 50 meters. They are very abundant at times and are top predators in some midwater food chains.</p>
<p>A fairly common midwater jelly, sometimes a dominant predator in the middle depths  (200-400 meters) of Monterey Bay.</p>
<p>This <i>Solmissus</i> jelly is swimming in hunting position, with its tentacles extended in front of its bell.</p>
<p><i>Stellamedusa ventana</i> has been observed off the coast of California and in the Gulf of California, but the full extent of its range remains unknown. In over thirteen years of deep-ocean diving, MBARI scientists have only seen this jelly seven times.</p>

More Galleries

6 Creepy-Crawlies We Hate But Couldn't Do Without

You might think the world would be better off without the bacteria that cause acne and strep throat. You'd be wrong.

7 Animals That Harnessed Nanotechnology Long Before Humans

The animal kingdom boasts many an impressive form, from arching giraffe necks to spoon-shaped bird beaks to gigantic beetle claws. But evolution has worked on much smaller scales too, producing nanostructures that help animals climb, slither, camouflage, flirt, and thrive.

The Grinches That Stole Valentine's Day: Creatures That Say No to Sex

From "lesbian lizards" to sea stars, some animals can survive for quite a while without mating, thank you very much.

Gallery Tools
DiggDigg
Stumble UponStumbleUpon
RedditReddit
 
Del.icio.usDel.icio.us
FacebookFacebook EmailEmail  
HelpHelp RssRSS
Increase - Decrease Font SizeIncrease - Decrease Font SizeIncrease - Decrease Font Size Font
Kalmbach Publishing Co.

Copyright © 2012, Kalmbach Publishing Co.

Privacy - Terms - Customer Service - Subscribe Today - Advertise - About Us