Moon Jelly

A recent sunny autumn day enticed me to a walk along the edge of Westernport Bay at Lang Lang caravan park.

With the low tide, I was hoping for some waders but apart from Silver Gulls, there wasn’t much bird activity. There were plenty of these stranded at the high water mark however …

Moon Jelly, Aurelia aurita, is a cosmopolitan jellyfish found in most oceans around the world. It doesn’t have the long, stinging tentacles of the traditional jellyfish and the hundreds of short tentacles that line the bell margin have no effect on humans. The four horseshoe-shaped structure is its reproduction organ.

Image credit: Seattle Aquarium

The species feeds on plankton, larvae, protozoans, crustaceans, etc. and itself is preyed upon by various fish, turtles and a range of sea birds.

Interestingly, some recent research determined that Aurelia aurita is capable of life-cycle reversal or biological immortality, through a process of cell renewal called transdifferentiation, similar to that of the Immortal Jellyfish.

Huh, so much to learn!