Lion's mane jellyfish Conservation status Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1) Scientific classification Kin
The Lowdown
Drifting through the freezing subarctic waters of the North Atlantic and Pacific, the lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) is the largest known jellyfish species in the world. The largest recorded specimen possessed a bell eight feet across with tentacles trailing an astonishing 120 feet through the water column.
Its bell is divided into eight lobed clusters, from which up to 1,200 delicate, hair-like tentacles hang in dense curtains. Packed with millions of microscopic stinging nematocysts, these tentacles act as a vast oceanic dragnet that immobilizes schooling fish and smaller jellyfish that drift into its path.
Biological Fact: In the pitch-black polar night, a disturbed lion’s mane jellyfish produces brilliant flashes of bioluminescent green and blue light along the margin of its bell.
Despite their potent sting, lion’s mane jellyfish provide a vital mobile ecosystem. Young butterfish, shrimp, and larval cod that have developed immunity to the jellyfish’s venom live safely inside the tentacle curtain, darting out to feed while using the giant bell as a shield against larger ocean predators.
