Did you know that the longest animal in the world is a jellyfish?It is called Cyanea capillata but it is known as the lion jellyfish and is longer than the blue whale.
The largest known specimen was found in 1870 off the coast of Massachusetts, its bell was 2.3 meters in diameter and its tentacles 36.5 meters long.
- In this Animal Expert article on the world’s largest jellyfish.
- We show you all the details about this gigantic inhabitant of our seas.
Its common name, lion jellyfish, comes from its physical appearance and its resemblance to the mane of a lion, within this jellyfish can be found other animals such as shrimp and small fish that are immune to their venom and find good fete food and protection.other predators.
The lion’s mane jellyfish has eight groups where its tentacles are grouped, its tentacles can be up to 60 meters long and have a color pattern ranging from crimson or purple to yellow.
This jellyfish feeds on zooplankton, small fish and even other jellyfish species that get trapped among its tentacles, to which it injects its crippling poison through its hives cells, this crippling effect facilitates the ingestion of its prey.
The lion-maned jellyfish lives mainly in the deep icy waters of the Antarctic Ocean, also extending to the North Atlantic and the North Sea.
Few observations have been made of this jellyfish, because it inhabits the so-called abyssal area that is between 2000 and 6000 meters deep and its approach to coastal areas is very rare.
Like the rest of the jellyfish, their ability to move depends directly on the ocean currents, limited to vertical movement and in much smaller horizontal extent, so due to these movement limitations, it is impossible to pursue, since their tentacles are the only weapon to feed.
In most cases, lion jellyfish bites are not fatal to people, although they may experience severe pain and rashes.In very extreme cases, if a person gets trapped in their tentacles, it can be fatal due to the large amount of poison absorbed through the skin.
Lion’s mane jellyfish breed in summer and autumn, even if they mate, are known to be asexual, capable of producing both eggs and sperm without the need for a mate.The mortality rate of this species is very high in the first days of an individual’s life.
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Curiosities section of the animal world.