The lifecycle of a jellyfish
Jellyfish and comb jellies are gelatinous animals that drift through the ocean's water column around the world. They are both beautiful—the jellyfish with their pulsating bells and long, trailing tentacles, and the comb jellies with their paddling combs generating rainbow-like colours.
Growing like a plant
Throughout their lifecycle, jellyfish take on two different body forms:
medusa and polyps. Polyps, when sufficiently developed, they settle onto a firm surface and develop. The polyps resemble those of closely related anthozoans, such as sea anemones and corals. The jellyfish polyp may be sessile, living on the bottom, boat hulls or other substrates, or it may be free-floating or attached to tiny bits of free-living plankton or rarely, fish or other invertebrates. Polyps may be solitary or colonial, they are only millimetres in diameter and feed continuously. The polyp stage may last for years. Learn more about
jellyfish lifecycle and reproduction at
ocean.si.edu
and
wikipedia
Do you want to learn more about the biggest jellyfish in the world? Read more about
Lion's mane jellyfish.
Enjoy some aquarium music with soothing jellyfish
🎵