Chrysaora fuscescens

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The Pacific sea nettle (Chrysaora fuscescens)

The chrysaora fuscescens jellyfish is also called the Pacific or West Coast sea nettle. It lives along the Pacific Coast, as far north as the Gulf of Alaska and west as Japan’s Baja Peninsula, but resides predominantly in the California and Oregon regions.

The main body of this spectacular jellyfish is shaped like a large bell which is a golden color with a red tint. Its white oral arms and tentacles float out from the body and can be up to 10 feet in length. It is their tentacles that help the jellyfish ensnare their prey as it floats helplessly into the poisonous tangle of netting.

The Chrysaora fuscescens’ diet includes crustaceans, zooplankton, small fish and even other jellyfish, however many fish and seabirds like to eat them as well. Their sting is not deadly to humans. Fertilized eggs grow into small polyps shaped like flowers which eventually become the new generation of these wonderous jellyfish.

 

 

 

Text source: Wikipedia under Creative Commons licence.

© Copyright Vince Capone 2013