| Lion's Mane Jellyfish | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Scyphozoa |
| Order: | Semaeostomeae |
| Family: | Cyaneidae |
| Genus: | Cyanea |
| Species: | C. capillata
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| Binomial name | |
| Cyanea capillata | |
Lion's Mane Jellyfish or, also commonly known as, the giant jelly fish, arctic red jellyfish, or the hair jelly. The nickname "giant jelly fish" says it all for this is species of jellyfish is one of the largest of its kind. However, their scientific name, the Lion's Mane Jellyfish, was given for their tentacles which closely resemble the hair of a lion's mane.
These jellyfish can vary in size depending on their latitudes (lower latitudes result in smaller size), but still hold the capability of reaching diameters of over 2 meters.
The species also varies in color throughout different life stages. For example, juvenile Lion's Mane Jellyfish are lighter orange while younger generations are usually colorless and adults reach the final color stage of red. The adult coloring of red ties in with the nickname of "arctic red jellyfish," while the "arctic" title comes from the species being found within a geographic range from the Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, North Sea, and Baltic Sea.
Reproduction:
editLike most species of jellyfish, the Lion's Mane Jellyfish has the ability to reproduce both sexual in the medusa stage and asexual in the polyp stage. The sperm and the egg are stored within the jellyfish's tentacles and, when the time is right, the male jellyfish with create a cloud of sperm. the sperm will then find its way into the female jellyfish's mouth to later develop into eggs to begin the larval stage. These eggs were given the name of "planua" by scientists. Lion's Mane Jellyfish have 4 stages after the production of planua: larval, polyp, ephyrea, and medusa.
Stages of Planua
editLarval Stage
editThe female jellyfish carries with eggs within its oral tentacles where the eggs will soon grow into larva. The first functional development of the larva are cilia.
Polyp Stage
editOnce the larva stage is met, they settle onto a substrate to grow into polyps which are able to begin to reproduce asexually. Lion's Mane Jellyfish reproduce asexually by horizontal division. This means that during the polyp stage they create small disks within each division forming "stacks" of a new species called ephyrea.
Ephyrea Stage and Medusa Stage
editThe ephyrea begin to detach from the stack built by the polyp once they are fully developed ephyrea. Eventually the species progresses into the recognized medusa form of a fully grown Lion's Mane Jellyfish.
Lifestyle:
editPredators
editWith any reproduction of a species comes with predators that typically feed on the juveniles-- Lion's Mane Jellyfish are no different. Seabirds, large fish, other jellyfish species, and sea turtles are main predators of the Lion's Mane Jellyfish, but will only attack the jellyfish during their juvenile stages. This is due to their small size during younger stages for as the species grows older, they reach incredible sizes that makes them incapable of being consumed.
Feeding
editThe diet of a Lion's Mane Jellyfish consists of: zooplankton, smaller fish, ctenophores, and moon jellies. The method of capturing their prey is by sinking slowly while its tentacles for a circle around their desired species. Once the prey is fully enclosed within the tentacles, it is stunned by the nematocysts.
Ecology
editThe Lion's Mane Jellyfish are slow moving creatures, reaching speeds of up to several km per hour, who rely on ocean currents to move them along at a faster rate. With this being said, because this species is so reliant of ocean currents, the Lion's Mane Jellyfish stays very close to the surface-- no more than 20 m depths. As mentioned before, Lion's Mane Jellyfish are cold water loving creatures which is why you will find them within ranges from the Arctic, northern Atlantic, and northern Pacific Oceans.
Human Contact
editWith this jellyfish having the ability to be so close to the surface of the ocean, human contact is a common occurrence. When a human is stung by a Lion's Mane Jellyfish it causes temporary stinging pain followed by redness on the skin where the tentacles made contact. Typically, if a healthy individual is stung with a few of the Lion's Mane Jellyfish the sting will not be fatal and can even be soothed by house products such as vinegar. However, if contacted with a large number of this jellies tentacles, medical attention is needed as systematic effects can be present. Besides this rarity, Lion's Mane Jellyfish are no real danger to humans and can continue to coexist!
Conservation Status
editLion's Mane Jellyfish are in no danger of extinction.
Gallery
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