Lion’s Mane Jellyfish, The Largest Jellyfish Known To Man
The Lion’s Mane jellyfish has the distinction of being the largest jellyfish known to man. The largest specimen on record had a bell shaped body with a diameter of 7 feet 6 inches and its tentacles were 120 feet long. It was definitely longer than a blue whale and is considered to be the longest animal known to the world.
Normally found living in the waters of the Northern Atlanic, Northern Pacific an Arctic regions, the Lion’s Mane like’s the higher latitudes however; similar types of jellyfish can be found in the waters just outside of Australia and New Zealand but rarely further south of the 42 degrees north latitude.
The Lion’s Mane jellyfish ranges in size. Although large Lion’s Mane with 8 foot bells are found in the Northern waters, relatively smaller ones can be found in the Southern water. The tentacles of the Lion’s Mane are sticky, grouped in large clusters of 8, each large cluster containing more then 100 tentacle strands arranged in a series of rows. The giant size of the Lion’s mane may scare you however; it is not too dangerous. Although stings can cause redness and temporary pain, they are not fatal.
The bell shaped body of the Lion’s Mane jellyfish has eight divisions, or lobes, that make it look like an eight pointed star. A complicated arrangement of its colorful arms radiate from the bell’s center which are shorter than the thinner tentacles which come out of the bell’s subumbrella. Size has a lot to do with the colors of the Lion’s Mane jellyfish – smaller specimens tend to be a light orange or tan, while the larger specimens range from a bright crimson to a darker purple.
The Lion’s Mane jellyfish is a coldwater species and can’t really handle warmer water. The jellyfish have a life span of one year and prefer to settle in sheltered bays that are shallow, as they approach the end of their life span. They live on zoo plankton, moon jellies, small fish and ctenophores. Out in open waters, the Lion’s Mane provides shelter and food for species like Medusa fish, Harvest fish, Butter fish, juvenile Prow fish and Shrimps, who treat it like a floating oasis. The predators of the Lion’s Mane jellyfish include other species of jellyfish, sea turtles, larger fish and sea birds.
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