Moon Jellyfish

The Moon Jelly is a type of jellyfish found throughout warmer waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. These jellyfish prefer the coastal parts of the ocean, such as harbors or inlets near the beach. They often wash up on the beach because they are not strong swimmers. Unlike many other species of jellyfish, their sting is not very painful because they only have a collection of very small tentacles. They are the most common type of jelly to be kept as a pet. They are also used in cuisine in parts of Asia, in both sweet and savory dishes.

5 Moon Jellyfish Facts

• Moon Jellyfish are actually prehistoric creatures.
• Moon Jellies are weakly fluorescent and can appear to glow under certain lighting conditions, but they are not truly bioluminescent.
• Moon Jellyfish prefer warmer coastal waters near the beach.
• Some jellyfish species, such as Turritopsis dohrnii, can revert to earlier life stages, but this has not been observed in moon jellyfish.
• Moon Jellies have been studied in space.

Classification and Scientific Name

Moon Jellyfish are known as Aurelia aurita. Aurelia means gold-colored puppa in Greek, while aurita in Latin means furnished with ears. They may also be called moon jellies, saucer jellies, or common jellyfish. They are classified as a type of plankton, primarily because of their low swimming abilities. They cannot swim against anything stronger than a weak current and are generally washed wherever the ocean takes them.

Evolution and Origins

The Kavli Institute researchers have found that the moon jellyfish’s metamorphosis was achieved without any major genetic mutations, but by utilizing a subset of pre-existing genes to transform from polyp to medusa, instead of the conventional process of mutation and natural selection.

Moon jellyfish inhabit warm oceanic waters and are commonly found near coastlines in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, spanning across the globe.

Jellyfish possess genetic adaptations that enable them to regulate their body’s salt concentration at the molecular level, enabling them to move both vertically and horizontally to capture their prey, without being impacted by fluctuations in ocean salinity levels.

Appearance

Moon Jellyfish are primarily clear or transparent, with a single translucent disk in the center of their bell, which is usually bluish. Their bodies, also known as bells, are gelatinous orbs with many small tentacles.

Moon jelly predators may confuse a plastic bag floating in the ocean for a jellyfish and eat that instead. Moon jellies may be up to 18 inches across at the bell. They are called “moon” jellies because of their round, glowing bell and short tentacles.

Distribution, Population, and Habitat

Moon Jellyfish can be found in shallower areas of most of the warmer oceans. These jellies prefer to live in waters between 40 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, but they don’t mind water that is dirty or low in oxygen. Blooms of moon jellyfish are monitored by scientists because how they grow and shrink is an indicator of other things happening in the ocean around them.

If moon jelly numbers swell, it means there is either an abundance of their prey or a dearth of their predators. These jellyfish can survive in oxygen-poor and even polluted waters that other sea creatures simply cannot.

Predators and Prey

Moon Jellyfish eat a lot of invertebrates, including other plankton, mollusk larvae, and crustaceans. They may also consume certain fish eggs and even tiny fish. Moon jellies use their tentacles to paralyze their prey and sweep them into their mucus membranes to ingest them.

The biggest threats to moon jellies besides humans are sea turtles and sharks, but their populations are not at risk. Other predators include marine mammals, large fish, and certain sea birds.

Reproduction and Lifespan

Moon Jellyfish lay eggs that are fertilized by sperm. This is done when a female moon jelly ingests floating sperm released by a male moon jelly, and her body carries it to the eggs. Those moon jelly eggs float until they find a firm surface on which to attach, at which point they hatch and become planula, which then turn into polyps.

These moon jelly polyps may wait for several years before becoming ephyra and then adults. As adults, they usually only live about a year.

Some jellyfish species, such as Turritopsis dohrnii, are known for their ability to revert to earlier life stages and are sometimes called ‘immortal,’ but this has not been observed in moon jellyfish

Fishing and Cooking

Moon Jellyfish are often used in Chinese and Japanese cooking, as well as cuisines in other parts of Southeast Asia. They are not particularly flavorful, but they do add saltiness to dishes and can be used to create items such as glowing ice cream.

Cooking with moon jellies became encouraged when jellyfish populations swelled and became a danger to fishing vessels. The jellies are not eaten fresh as they dissolve when taken from the water and killed. Instead, moon jellyfish are generally stripped of their mucus membranes and tentacles, then the moon jellyfish are sliced up and salt-cured.