Upside-down Jelly Fish © Shedd Aquarium
An upside-down jelly doesn't have a central mouth, instead, has hundreds of
tiny mouth openings. By pulsing its bell, it forces zooplankton into the nematocysts
on its mouth openings. This zooplankton is its main food source. This jelly
is a favorite meal for ocean sunfish and the endangered leatherback sea turtle.
Upside-down jellies are more vulnerable than jelly species that live in the
open ocean or the deep sea. They live in mangrove forests and shallow lagoons
along tropical coasts. Mangrove forests are among the most threatened ecosystems
on Earth; they're constantly under siege from coastal development. People clear
mangroves to build hotels, housing and fish farms. Pollution flows into mangrove
forests from these coastal developments, endangering all life in this rich forest
habitat. The jellies can get 10 inches wide and 2 inches high. When very young,
this unusual jelly flips upside-down and pulses to the seafloor. It uses its
bell much like a suction cup to stick to the seafloor. The brown-green color
is caused by symbiotic algae living inside the jelly's tissues.
- Waikiki Aquarium. "Marine Life Profile: Upside-down Jelly.
- http://www.waquarium.org/MLP/root/pdf/MarineLife/Invertebrates/Cnidarians/UpsideDownJelly.pdf
