CRITTER CONFIDENTIAL Jumping jellyfish !
British seas are blessed with an abundance of jellies , and Paul Naylor is here to introduce you to them
Blue jellyfish , close relative of the lion ’ s mane
Now we ’ re well into the summer , there are likely to a good number of jellyfish around and , as divers and snorkellers , we ’ re in a privileged position . Rather than just seeing them bedraggled , damaged and stranded on the beach , our underwater vantage point shows us the magnificent structure of these amazing animals .
Leaving the tiny , stalked jellyfish attached to the seabed or seaweed aside , there are five reasonably common ‘ true ’ jellyfish species that you are likely to meet underwater . Their relative abundance seems to vary from year to year , and also depends on where you are in the UK .
The most impressive is the lion ’ s mane ( Cyanea capillata ) with its fearsome spread of long tentacles that bear powerful stinging cells . You can sometimes see them ensnaring prey , which can include smaller jellyfish , particularly the abundant moon or common jellyfish , ( Aurelia aurita ) which is easily distinguished by its near-transparent umbrella that contains four obvious ringshaped gonads . The so-called ‘ blue jellyfish ’ ( Cyanea lamarckii ) resembles a small lion ’ s mane and is indeed usually blue , although it can sometimes be more yellow or brown .
I think the most beautiful is the compass jellyfish ( Chrysaora hysoscella ). Its name comes from the very striking dark radial markings on its umbrella and it has extremely long arms with even longer tentacles , although these can be retracted when the jellyfish has finished a meal . While
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The large and sturdy barrel jellyfish
Small and pretty , but painful , the mauve stinger