cool-critters: Pacific sea nettle (Chrysaora…
Pacific sea nettle (Chrysaora fuscescens)
Thepacific sea nettle is a common free-floating scyphozoa that lives in the East Pacific Ocean from Canada to Mexico. The bell can grow to be larger than one meter (three feet) in diameter in the wild, though most are less than 50 cm across. The long, spiraling, white oral arms and the 24 undulating maroon tentacles may trail behind as far as 10 feet. For humans, its sting is often irritating, but rarely dangerous. They are carnivorous animals. They catch their prey by means of cnidocyst-laden tentacles that hang down in the water. By spreading out their tentacles like a large net, the sea nettle is able to catch food as it passes by. The pacific sea nettle use light sensing organs called ocelli to migrate from the deeper waters of the ocean to the surface.
Reposted from http://ift.tt/2mWsRF1.
