Stats

Lifespan

A few months

Size

Medium

Diet

Filter Feeder

Activity

Cathemeral

Social

Swarm

Biome

Coastal ocean

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Drifting

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Venom

Status

Uncommon

About

A translucent saucer-shaped jellyfish identifiable by the four horseshoe-shaped gonads visible through the top of its bell. Drifts in coastal waters worldwide and feeds on plankton caught by short, fringe-like tentacles.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   juvenile medusa

   A young medusa pulses free of its polyp stage, drifting with the current and feeding on plankton.
2. 2.
   adult

   Fully grown, with adult bell size and trailing tentacles.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →
• Watch on YouTube →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Cnidaria

Class

Scyphozoa

Order

Semaeostomeae

Family

Ulmaridae

Genus

Aurelia

Species

Aurelia aurita