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The phantom jellyfish, aka giant phantom jelly, is the only known species in the genus of deep sea jellyfish, Stygiomedusa. They belong to the Ulmaridae family. While not currently evaluated by the IUCN, these jellies likely face the threats of deep-sea fishing, mining, and oil exploration. Their population trend is […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The fried egg jellyfish, aka egg-yolk jellyfish, is quite a large jellyfish from the Phacellophoridae family that are found in many parts of the world’s oceans. They get their name from their appearance. They literally look like a sunny-side up egg floating in the water. These jellyfish are not currently […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The comb jelly, aka comb jellyfish, is the largest species of jellyfish-like creatures that utilizes cilia to swim. These cilia are typically referred to as combs. While they possess the name jelly, they aren’t true jellyfish. There are 208 known species of Comb Jellies, in 66 genera, and 31 families. […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The lion’s mane jellyfish, aka arctic red jellyfish, giant jellyfish, or hair jelly, can be found in the frigid, boreal waters of the Arctic, northern Pacific, and northern Atlantic Oceans. These jellies are not currently evaluated by the IUCN. They need a higher salinity to breed, so they aren’t typically […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The immortal jellyfish can be found throughout the world’s oceans. They can tolerate temperate to tropical waters. They are 1 of the few known animals that are able to completely revert to a sexually immature, colonial stage after having reached sexual maturity as a solitary individual. The others include 2 […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The freshwater jellyfish, aka peach blossom jellyfish, originally hails from the Yangtze River valley in China. However, is has been introduced to every continent, sans Antarctica. They prefer calm, freshwater reservoirs, lakes, impoundments, gravel pits, quarries, and slow-moving backwaters of river systems. These jellyfish are not currently evaluated by the […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

This floating blanket is known as a Deepstaria. It floats about in the depths of the oceans and engulfs it’s prey in a blankety balloon of doom. There are 2 known species of these odd creatures: the Deepstaria reticulum; which has a red hue, and the Deepstaria enigmatica; which is […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Ctenophore, aka comb jelly, is a marine invertebrate. They are part of the plankton family and there are also pelagic (open ocean) species as well. Even though they resemble jellyfish, they are not zoologically related to jellies. This is because they lack nematocysts (stinging cells). Instead, they use specially […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The moon jellyfish can be found in oceans all over the world. These adaptable creatures can survive in both warm and cold water. There are large populations found off the coasts of Canada and Europe. Moon jellyfish spend a great deal of time in coastal and epipelagic areas (top oceanic […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The blanket octopus is as strange as it is beautiful. With a large drapery spanning between their arms, a secret weapon (borrowed from another animal), a massive size difference between males and females, and an ultra secretive lifestyle. This oceanic wanderer comes to you, on special request, from my friend […]

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