New Feature: Jellyfish Discovery

Jellyfish

Groovy Jellyfish in SEA LIFE

In the new Jellyfish Discovery exhibition, visitors can find out more about the moon jellyfish found in Finnish waters, as well as more exotic compass jellyfish, lagoon jellyfish and mosaic jellyfish. The groovy beauties of the seas can be admired at Sea Life until the end of the year to the beat of disco music.

Ghostly Jellyfish

Jellyfish are medusae that are members of the phylum Cnidaria, which also includes sea anemones and corals. Jellyfish live in the sea and swim slowly by contracting and expanding their jelly-like umbrella, which forces water away and propels them forward.

Some species of jellyfish have become much more abundant in recent years, due most likely to overfishing or ocean warming. The Baltic Sea is home to one species of jellyfish, Aurelia aurita or the moon jellyfish, which is most often encountered in the autumn.

Jellyfish are predators that use their tentacles to capture their prey. The tentacles have tiny capsules, or nematocysts, that release poison to paralyse the victim. The poison of most jellyfish is harmless to humans, but some species release such toxic poison that it can cause severe pain and even death in just a few minutes.