Lion's mane jellyfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lion's mane jellyfish |
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| Conservation status | |
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Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: |
Semaeostomeae
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| Family: |
Cyaneidae
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| Genus: |
Cyanea
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| Species: |
C. capillata
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| Binomial name | |
| Cyanea capillata (Linnaeus, 1758)
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The lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) is a very large type of jellyfish. It is also known as the Hair Jelly or Sea Blubber. These amazing creatures are mostly found in the cold waters of the northern Atlantic and northern Pacific oceans. Their stings can be painful, but they are not usually dangerous to humans. You can often find them near the coastlines of places like the U.S..
A group of jellyfish is called a smack.
Contents
About the Lion's Mane Jellyfish
Size and Appearance
The lion's mane jellyfish can grow to be truly enormous! Its "bell" (the top, dome-shaped part) can be up to 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) wide. Its tentacles can stretch even longer, sometimes up to 30 meters (about 100 feet). That's as long as a blue whale! The biggest one ever recorded was 120 feet long. However, most lion's mane jellyfish are much smaller, usually around 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) wide with tentacles up to 50 centimeters (about 1.6 feet) long.
What They Eat
These jellyfish mainly eat tiny ocean creatures called plankton. They use their long tentacles to catch food floating in the water.
Who Eats Them
Even though they are big, lion's mane jellyfish can be eaten by other animals. Their predators include sunfish, sea turtles, and some seabirds.
Life Cycle
Like all jellyfish, the lion's mane jellyfish has a short life. It lives for only about one year. During this time, it grows from a tiny larva into a large adult, reproduces, and then dies.
Images for kids
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Lion's mane jellyfish swimming, side view
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Lion's mane jellyfish capturing three moon jellyfishes
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Lion's mane jellyfish with full threads visible
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Lion's mane jellyfish contracted
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Lion's mane jellyfish in star formation
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Lion's mane jellyfish open, showing underside
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Life-sized model in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, US
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Small, dead lion's mane jelly washing up on the beach
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See also
In Spanish: Medusa melena de león ártica para niños
