Jellyfish are exclusively aquatic animals, which are grouped in the phylum Cnidaria and in the subphylum Medusozoa, although sometimes it is also considered a clade from cladistic taxonomy. They are diverse animals that depending on the characteristics are grouped into different classes, however, they share the generally gelatinous shape of the body, some translucent and others colorful, and the presence of specialized cells that they use to capture their prey or defense, the which inject toxic substances that, depending on the species, can be fatal to humans.
Precisely because of the last comment, many people wonder where jellyfish live. Well, in this article on our site we want to talk to you about the distribution of jellyfish and their habitat.
Jellyfish Distribution
Jellyfish have a wide global distribution, although this can vary by species, with some being cosmopolitan while others are more restricted to certain areas. Most of the species live in the sea, but some are typical of freshwater ecosystems.
On the other hand, jellyfish can be distributed at different depths, staying close to the surface or remaining submerged in deep water. They can also be found in open water or near shores, again depending on the species. Their presence depends on the water temperature varies in the same way, so that some are in cold, temperate or tropical areas as well as in warm waters.
Since the variety is so great, here are some examples of the distribution of certain jellyfish species:
- Moon jellyfish (A urelia aurita): it is a cosmopolitan species that is present in all oceans, except the Arctic. It is distributed mainly towards waters of America, Asia, Europe, Australia and in some areas of Africa. Unlike this one, the species A urelia labiata, another type of moon jellyfish, is restricted to coastal regions in the North American Pacific Ocean.
- Lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata): it is a species associated with cold waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, North Sea and the B altic. It is very common on the English coast.
- Freshwater jellyfish (Craspedacusta sowerbyi): Originally reported as native to Asia and taxonomically identified in England, however, It has been introduced to all continents except Antarctica. It has a wide distribution in Canada and the United States. Another example of a freshwater jellyfish is the tiny Limnocnida tanganyicae, found in Africa's Lake Tanganyika.
- Portuguese man-of-war (Physalia physalis): it is distributed in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is also present in the Caribbean Sea and the Sargasso Sea.
- Sea wasp (Chironex fleckeri): is a type of box jellyfish found mainly in waters off Australia and into the Southeast Asian. It is also found in some areas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans and the Great Barrier Reef. It is one of the most poisonous animals in the world.
- Medusa habu (Chiropsoides quadrigatus): it is common in the Pacific Ocean, with a range from Australia to the Philippines, although to a lesser extent and very rarely can be present in the Caribbean Sea.
- Sea Nettle (Chrysaora fuscescens): It is very common in the Pacific Ocean, from Canada to Mexico.
Jellyfish habitat
The habitat of jellyfish corresponds to exclusively aquatic ecosystems, which can be of the s alty type, in which it is mainly found, but also of the sweet type. Particular areas may include the coastal, open, shallow or deep water regions
Jellyfish in their reproductive process have a sessile life period, in which they are fixed to a substrate, so the habitat at that time corresponds to certain areas where the larvae settle to continue with its development. Then, in the jellyfish or free-living stage, the habitat can change depending on the movement of the animal. In this other article we talk more in depth about the Reproduction of jellyfish.
Habitat conditions vary depending on the region where the jellyfish is found. So, let's look at some more specific examples:
- Moon jellyfish: The moon jellyfish's habitat corresponds to waters from oceanic to tropical, with temperatures that can range fromfrom 6 to 19 ºC Similarly, it can be at different levels of salinity, from very low, with less than 1%, to almost 40%. And it is located at different depth levels in the pelagic zone.
- Lion's mane jellyfish: The habitat of the lion's mane jellyfish is represented by the waters more cold of the Atlantic Ocean. In its free-living phase, it is located in the pelagic zone, while in the polyp phase in the depths.
- Freshwater jellyfish: The freshwater jellyfish is a clear example of this type of animal that breaks with the common habitat that they usually have. In its case, it is distributed in various bodies of fresh water, such as lakes, reservoirs, rivers, quarries and even thrives well in artificial aquatic spaces. It seems to prefer quiet ecosystems with the presence of algae.
- Portuguese man-of-war: another example that we can mention is that of the Portuguese man-of-war, which is preferably located in thesurface waters of tropical and subtropical temperatures.
Why are there jellyfish on the beach?
Ocean conditions have an impact on the reproduction of jellyfish, being, for example, temperature an important factor in many of the species of these animals, since it determines the reproductive cycles. In this sense, with the thermal variations that the marine waters are experiencing, as a result of climate change, which also modifies the periods of rain in certain coastal areas, they remain warmer temperatures longer and jellyfish have a longer range of time to gather and reproduce, so they congregate in areas near beaches.
On the other hand, there is also another important factor that is having an impact on more jellyfish on some beaches and that is overfishingJellyfish are part of the food webs of marine ecosystems, so they are the food of other animals such as fish and turtles. Global overfishing is already reported as unsustainable, so the natural predators of jellyfish have significantly decreased , allowing them to increase in number and finally proliferate to a greater extent in various regions, such as beaches.
If you want to discover more curious facts about these animals, do not miss this other article: "Curiosities of jellyfish that you did not know".
