Besides feeding on the plankton, shrimp, and fish that live around them, jellyfish also eat other kinds of marine life, like krill, squid, octopus, and lobsters. But how do these creatures survive?
Plankton
Besides being the food source for jellyfish, plankton is important for a variety of animals. It is rich in nutrients and has a distinct flavor.
The plankton is consumed by fish, crustaceans and baleen whales. It also provides a wide range of food for shrimp and other opportunistic omnivores.
The plankton has an impact on the marine ecosystem through trophic cascades. Jellyfish are a significant consumer of plankton and thus influence the overall grazing pressure of macrozooplankton.
Jellyfish have a high turnover rate and compete with macrozooplankton for grazing. They consume zooplankton, mollusks, copepods and fish eggs. Their reproductive system is unique. They alternate between a polyp phase and a medusa phase. The medusa phase reproduces sexually and produces many medusae.
In PlankTOM11, jellyfish are parameterized using data from temperate species. Their contribution to the zooplankton community is highly sensitive to their mortality rate.
Fish
Among the most dangerous creatures in the ocean are jellyfish. They are carnivores, consuming small fish, plankton, crabs, and other sea creatures. They are also opportunistic predators, eating larvae and food particles.
Jellyfish can survive in a wide range of temperatures and depths. Some species rely on algae as a source of carbohydrates.
The box jellyfish, one of the most toxic marine animals, can kill humans within minutes. Its venom is also known to cause brain damage.
The moon jellyfish, which is a small, translucent invertebrate, can be found in the northeast Pacific Ocean and the Salish Sea. They are distinguished from other jellyfish by four opaque half circles on the bell. Its tentacles are thin and short.
There are over 2,000 species of jellyfish. The oldest known species is Turritopsis nutricula. It lived about 500 million years ago in Utah.
Shrimp
Unlike fish, jellyfish eat shrimp, as well as a variety of other smaller marine organisms. Some whales, seabirds, and crabs also eat them. They are very popular aquarium creatures.
During the ephyra stage, jellyfish float free and can take up prey that floats by. They use their tentacles to capture their food and drag it to their mouths. They then digest the food in their mouths, using enzymes to break down the prey.
In the wild, juvenile jellyfish eat brine shrimp. These critters float in the water during the ephyra stage and are their primary food source.
Brine shrimp are available to buy live or frozen. They can stay in the refrigerator for up to 10 days, and are great for feeding jellyfish.
If you don’t want to buy them, you can also feed your jellyfish a dried planktonic mixture, or krill and phytoplankton. This can be purchased from your local pet store or online.
Larvae
Unlike other invertebrates, jellyfish can reproduce by sexual means. During the medusa phase, the eggs of the jellyfish are fertilized internally. After the process, the larvae of the jellyfish develop into planula.
The planula is a free-swimming larva of Cnidarians, and is covered with tiny hairs called cilia. It swims by propelling itself with these cilia, which allow the planula to move around. It also attaches to the solid seabed and other animals.
There are two kinds of jellies: cannonball and upside down. The cannonball jelly is shaped like a half-egg, and can reach up to seven inches in diameter. Its color ranges from green to gray-blue. When it is disturbed, the comb jelly flashes bioluminescence.
The comb jelly differs from other jellies in that it lacks tentacles and a bell. Its body is translucent, walnut-shaped, and appears to have rainbow colors flowing down its body.
Eggs
Often mistaken for a plastic bag, the Fried Egg Jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata) is an ocean organism that lives in seas around the world. They are commonly seen in the Aegean Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean. They can also be found in the cooler waters of the Pacific Ocean.
There are two species of fried egg jellyfish. The smaller one, Cotylorhiza tuberculata, is more common in the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea. It has tentacles that are short and purple, and the bell grows to 30 cm in diameter.
The larger one, Phacellophora camtschatica, has tentacles that can reach six metres in length. The tentacles are sticky, and are designed to capture jellyfish.
While the sting is a mild irritation, it can scratch and cause itching. The fried egg jellyfish can eat small crabs and zooplankton.