The Kid Should See This
From 7am to 7pm Pacific time, the Monterey Bay Aquarium team operates two live sea jelly cams of two phenomental looking ‘jellyfish’ species. The first cam is of these greater Pacific moon jellies (Aurelia labiata). From the video notes:
The several species of moon jellies are common throughout the global ocean. The greater Pacific moon jelly is a seasonal visitor to Monterey Bay, and it can be distinguished by its clear bell, four horseshoe-shaped gonads that are purple or pink when gravid, and a fine mesh of stinging tentacles they use to catch planktonic prey. At the Aquarium, different foods affect their coloration; if they feed extensively on crustaceans, they’ll turn pink or lavender. An orange tint hints that they’ve been feeding on brine shrimp.
When the cams are not on, previously recorded hours are still available within the video. Below, the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s live cam for their sea nettle (Chrysaora fuscescens) exhibit:
Watch as their long tentacles and lacey mouth-arms move smoothly through the water. But don’t let these unassuming invertebrates fool you—their graceful trailing parts are covered in stinging cells used for hunting. When their tentacles touch tiny drifting prey, the stinging cells paralyze it and stick tight. The prey is moved to the mouth-arms and then to the mouth, where it’s digested.
Next: A swarm of hungry moon jellies in Alaska and this human-sized barrel jellyfish near Cornwall.
Plus: More excellent videos from Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cornell Lab’s Great Horned Owl Live Cam, and more sea jellies.
Rion Nakaya