Did you know that the longest animal in the world is a jellyfish? It is called Cyanea capillata but is commonly known as lion's mane jellyfish and is even longer than the blue whale.
The largest known specimen was found in 1870 off the coast of Massachusetts. Its bell averaged 2.3 meters in diameter and its tentacles reached 36.5 meters in length.
In this article on our site about the world's largest jellyfish we tell you all the details about this gigantic inhabitant of our seas.
Characteristic
Its common name, lion's mane jellyfish, comes from its physical appearance and its similarity to a lion's mane. Within this mane, other animals such as shrimp, palometas or juvenile Zaprora silenus can be found, which are immune to its poison and find in it a good source of food and protection against other predators.
Lion's mane jellyfish have eight clusters in which their tentacles are grouped. It is estimated that Its tentacles can reach up to 60 meters in length and they have a color pattern that ranges from crimson or purple to yellow.
The lion's mane jellyfish feeds on zooplankton, small fish and even other species of jellyfish that are trapped between its tentacles, injecting its paralyzing poison through its stinging cells. This paralyzing effect facilitates the ingestion of their prey.
Habitat of the largest jellyfish in the world
The lion's mane jellyfish lives mainly in the cold and deep waters of the Antarctic Ocean, also extending to the North Atlantic and the North Sea.
Few sightings have been made of this jellyfish because it inhabits the area known as the abyssal, which is between 3,000 and 6,000 meters deepbeing very infrequent their approaches to coastal areas.
Behavior and playback
Like other jellyfish, their ability to move depends directly on ocean currents, limiting this to vertical movement and to a much lesser extent horizontal movement. Due to these movement limitations, it is impossible for them to carry out chases, so their tentacles are their only weapon to feed on.
In most cases, stings from the lion's mane jellyfish are not fatal to people, although they can cause severe pain and rashesIn very extreme cases, if a person gets caught in its tentacles, it could become fatal due to the large amount of poison absorbed through the skin.
Lion's mane jellyfish breed in summer and fall. Although they usually mate, they are known to be asexual, so they can produce both eggs and sperm without the need for a mate. The mortality rate in this species is very high in the first days of life of the individuals.
