Moon jellyfish by Helen Nott 1/1

Moon Jellyfish Aurelia aurita

The common moon jellyfish is a round saucer shaped creature with a fringe of small tentacles around its edge, and has very little colour other than its sexual organs. They can be spotted any time of year and are usually found washed up on shore.

Conservation status

Not threatened.

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Details

Did you know?

Moon jellyfish are not harmful to humans but they are carnivorous. Their main source of food is plankton which they catch in the mucus on their bodies. Lots of tiny hairs on the body (called 'cilia') move the plankton to the edge of the bell by beating to create currents. The arms then pick the plankton off and pass it to the mouth.

Moon jellyfish are part of the phylum Cnidaria which has been around for at least 680 million years. This means that moon jellyfish are related to sea anenomes, hydra and corals.
 

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