Species of Jellyfish | perseus (2024)

Most people think that all gelatinous,swimming marine animal encountered at the sea are "jellyfish" and moreover that they all sting.

But not all jellyfish are stinging; many are harmless to humans, but it is always best to avoid touching them.

Here is a mini-guide to the main jellyfish species and the most recognizable gelatinous plankton species prevalent in our seas.

Click on the illustrations of each individual jellyfish to learn more about the respective species.

We would like to thank in particular Mr. Alberto Gennari, artist, for his original artwork, Mr. Fabio Tresca for the Image processing and Focus Magazine – Italia for providing some images of the jellyfish species and the format of this page.

Mild Stinger

Stinger

Species of Jellyfish  | perseus (2024)

FAQs

Where are 505 million year old jellyfish fossils may be the oldest ever found? ›

The oldest examples of swimming jellyfish, which lived in Earth's oceans 505 million years ago, have been discovered high within the Canadian Rockies. Researchers found 182 fossils encased within the rock of the famed Burgess Shale fossil site.

What is the Medusa that lives forever? ›

When the medusa the immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) dies, it sinks to the ocean floor and begins to decay. Amazingly, its cells then reaggregate, not into a new medusa, but into polyps, and from these polyps emerge new jellyfish. The jellyfish has skipped to an earlier life stage to begin again.

How many species of jellyfish exist? ›

3. There are around 2000 known species of jellyfish! There are more than 2000 different types of jellyfish, with many more still waiting to be discovered. Only approximately 70 of these species have stings strong enough to harm humans.

Why are jellyfish that are going to be eaten treated with alum? ›

Abstract. Residual aluminum in jellyfish is largely due to the use of alum as a firming agent. Simply lowering the usage of alum during jellyfish dehydration may not only affect its texture, but also increase its susceptibility to foodborne pathogens and spoilage bacteria.

What animal is older than jellyfish? ›

For example, scientists have found extremely old fossils of the nautilus (500 million years old), jellyfish (550 million years old), and sponge (760 million years old).

What is the oldest jellyfish alive today? ›

To date, there's only one species that has been called 'biologically immortal': the jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii. These small, transparent animals hang out in oceans around the world and can turn back time by reverting to an earlier stage of their life cycle.

Was Medusa black? ›

No, the traditional depiction of Medusa does not associate her with being a black gorgon/goddess or a queen in the Libyan Empire. In Greek mythology, Medusa is one of the three Gorgon sisters, creatures with snakes for hair and the ability to turn people to stone with their gaze.

Is Medusa good or evil? ›

The most common interpretation of Medusa suggests she is an apotropaic symbol used to protect from and ward off the negative, much like the modern evil eye. She represents a dangerous threat meant to deter other dangerous threats, an image of evil to repel evil.

What creature was born from Medusa? ›

From the blood that ran from her neck sprang Chrysaor and Pegasus, her two offspring by Poseidon. Medusa's severed head had the power of turning all who looked upon it into stone.

What is the rarest jellyfish ever? ›

The rare spotted box jellyfish (Chirodectes maculatus)

What is the new species of jellyfish? ›

A new species of jellyfish has been discovered deep below the waves, and it may possess venoms that we have never seen before. The new species, named Santjordia pagesi, was discovered at a depth of 2,664 feet near Japan's Ogasawara Islands, floating around a deep-sea volcano known as the Sumisu Caldera.

What is the largest jellyfish ever recorded? ›

The largest lion's many jellyfish ever recorded was 120 feet (36.5 m) long. 6. The lion's mane jellyfish delivers a powerful sting that can be very painful to humans.

What does vinegar do to jellyfish? ›

Vinegar is a weak acid that might keep the stingers from firing for some kinds of stings (especially from dangerous types like box jellyfish). Do not rinse with fresh water (like tap or bottled water) because that can make more stingers fire.

Why do we pee on jellyfish stings? ›

But the long-time mythical cure of peeing on a jellyfish sting to decrease the pain and help remove its stingers is just that — a myth. It's been used as a convenient plot twist in sitcoms like Friends and you'll find it riddled among popular Reddit threads where people have tried it in the past.

What do they do with jellyfish balls? ›

While primarily used as a food source, they also have been used for medicinal purposes to treat blood pressure and bronchitis2.

Where is the oldest of fossilized life found? ›

The oldest known fossils, in fact, are cyanobacteria from Archaean rocks of western Australia, dated 3.5 billion years old. This may be somewhat surprising, since the oldest rocks are only a little older: 3.8 billion years old!

What was the 500 million year old fossil found? ›

Now, researchers have described some of the best-preserved trilobite fossils ever discovered. The fossils represent two species that were rapidly buried by volcanic ash as they walked or rested on the floor of a shallow sea some 500 million years ago.

What was the jellyfish 500 million years ago? ›

How long have jellyfish lived in the ocean? This jellyfish fossil is from the Cambrian period, more than 500 million years ago. It was found buried in Utah —an area that used to be underwater, covered by the ocean. Fossil jellyfish are rare because they have no bones or other hard parts to turn into fossils.

What is the oldest land fossil ever found? ›

Tortotubus. Fossils of the earliest-known fungus, Tortotubus, were discovered by paleontologists in Scotland in 2016. Paleontologists estimate that the fossil is about 440 million years old. Not only is the Tortotubus fossil the oldest fungus, it is the oldest fossil of any strictly land-based organism ever found.

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