Sea nettle

Biology

The sea nettle is a gelatinous animal, 90% of its body consists of water. It has four arms around the oral cavity with crimped ends, which may reach about 50 centimetres in length. With rhythmic contractions of the umbrella - the bell-shaped upper body - and the movement of the tentacles captures organisms that serve as food – zooplankton, other jellyfish, and small crustaceans. The tentacles are armed with stinging capsules - the nematocysts, which inject a toxin that can cause severe pain.

Curiosities

Jellyfish are one of the oldest organisms on the planet, scientists believe that jellyfish have existed for 500 to 700 million years, long before the first dinosaur.