jellyfish

Also known as 🪼, jellies, sea jelly

thumb|Spotted jelly|Spotted jellies swimming in a Tokyo aquarium Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals, although a few are anchored to the seabed by stalks rather than being motile. They are made of an umbrella-shaped main body made of mesoglea, known as the bell, and a collection of trailing tentacles on the underside.

AI overview

Jellyfish are free-swimming sea creatures made up of a bell-shaped body and trailing tentacles, belonging to a major group of gelatinous animals called Cnidaria. They matter because they are abundant marine animals that play a significant role in ocean ecosystems, though the provided context does not specify additional details about their ecological or practical importance.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Image: Jelly cc11.jpg

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Commons gallery: Jellyfish
exact match: wordnet-rdf.princeton.edu/wn30/01910747-n
Unicode character: 🪼
Commons category: Jellyfish

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Article

37 sections

Contents

Names
Mapping to taxonomic groups
Phylogeny
Definition
Medusozoan jellyfish
Taxonomy
Fossil history
Anatomy
Box jellyfish eye
Evolution
Utility as a model organism
Characteristics
Comparison with other organisms
Evolution as a response to natural stimuli
Largest and smallest
Life history and behavior
Life cycle
Lifespan
Locomotion
Ecology
Diet
Predation
Symbiosis
Blooms
Habitats
Parasites
Relation to humans
Fisheries
Products
Biotechnology
Aquarium display
Stings
Mechanical issues
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Via pulsating contractions, the bell can provide propulsion for locomotion through open water. The tentacles are armed with stinging cells and may be used to capture prey or to defend against predators. Jellyfish have a complex life cycle, and the medusa is normally the sexual phase, which produces planula larvae. These then disperse widely and enter a sedentary polyp phase which may include asexual budding before reaching sexual maturity.