Amazing nature #25 - Lion's mane jellyfish
Hello my beloved Steemians, today I bring you an incredible presentation of a marine animal that for its size and appearance could be very scary, but in reality is more harmless than you imagine, it is the Lion's mane jellyfish, accompany me to know its main characteristics, where it lives and what is its fascinating aspect through the magic of photos.
Lion's mane jellyfish
The lion's mane jellyfish is the largest of all jellyfish. They can be more than 120 feet long. In 1870, one of them reached the Massachusetts coast, and had a bell diameter of more than 7 feet. This was incredible for the people there and they documented the details with drawings, today some of them have been discovered with a diameter of up to 8 feet.
The name of this jellyfish comes from its color and appearance, which often portrays the mane of a lion. Sometimes living creatures in the oceans, such as shrimp, live inside this mane, which offers them a habitat and security.
Description
The tentacles of lion's mane jellyfish may vary in length. They have 8 clusters, in which they have more than 100 tentacles in each cluster. They come in a variety of colors, some of which include crimson, purple, light and fire.
Distribution
Lion's mane jellyfish are found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They prefer warmer water areas, such as Australia, and those in the North appear to be much larger than those in the South. They tend to live far away, in the sea, in the deep waters.
However, as they begin to approach the end of their lives, they may begin to approach the shallow waters. Why this happens is not fully understood, and experts continue to investigate the causes.
Behavior
Like all jellyfish, this species can move itself in a vertical position, although moving horizontally depends on the wind and sea currents. They tend to stay farther from the coast than other jellyfish so they are not typically seen by other humans.
The sting of lion's mane jellyfish does not kill healthy humans, but they can still be very painful. They can cause burning and itching sensations, rashes can also occur for those who have sensitive skin. Applying vinegar is a common and simple way to reduce the pain of a jellyfish sting.
Nutrition
Zooplankton is a common part of the diet of Lion mane jellyfish. Several types of small fish and common jellyfish can also be part of your diet. They tend to be opportunistic and feed on what they can find.
Reproduction
Reproduction can take place through sexual and asexual rituals, they are able to offer both eggs and their own sperm, so you do not need a partner to create any offspring. During the summer and autumn most youngsters will emerge, however, there is a very high mortality rate for this type of jellyfish. Although they offer large quantities of eggs, less than half survive for more than a few days.
Studies show that differences in water temperature and food supply can affect the mating efforts of lion's mane jellyfish. When there is an abundance of food they are more likely to mate, and when food supplies are scarce they will not participate in such a ritual at all.
Conservation
Birds and turtles are common predators of lion mane jellyfish. When they are small they can be preyed upon by large fish as well.
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