Moon Jelly (Aurelia aurita) are of our most common Jellyfish species found in the ocean.
They can be found in the Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and are common to the waters off California, Japan, the East Coast of the United States as well as Europe.
The animal can be large (up to 15cm across), translucent and often considered beautiful for the patterns of pulsating color within its body.
It feeds by stinging small medusans, plankton and mollusks with its tentacles and bringing them into its body for digestion, but is capable of only limited motion; like other jellies it relies on the currents of the ocean for it mobility.
Aurelia - Moon jellyfish - occurs in swarms mid to late summer.
Sting very mild but can irritate eyes or soft tissues. |
