Fun Facts About Jellyfish – Did You Know They Aren’t Even Fish At All?

Jellyfish evolution predates true fish by at least 100 million years.

There are at least 1,500 different species of jellyfish.

Their numbers are expanding even as ocean waters warm and become more polluted.

Not all jellyfish can sting humans, but a few, like the box jelly, are lethally poisonous.

A group of jellyfish is called a swarm or a bloom. Large blooms may contain millions of jellyfish and can cover up to 10 square miles.

Now, some of our favorite types of jellies

Lion’s Mane

This is the largest known species of jellyfish, with tentacles that can grow as long as 100 feet.

Man-of-War

Though it looks like a jellyfish, it is actually a siphonophore, an organism made up of many highly specialized, minute individuals called zooids.

Moon Jellyfish

Moon jellyfish tend to stay close to the surface of the water, making them easy prey for large fish, turtles, and the occasional marine bird.

Atlantic Sea Nettle

Unlike other jellyfish that feed only on plankton, sea nettles prey on minnows, worms, and mosquito larvae by stinging them with their powerful venom.

Immortal Jellyfish

One Mediterranean species, the immortal jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii, can revert to its immature stage after reproducing. This process can repeat indefinitely, meaning it may be capable of living forever.