Creatures Sea inhabitants differ in shape, size, color and behavior. Among the populations of marine life of impressive size, one of the leading places is occupied by the largest jellyfish in the world; the photo of this beauty is probably familiar to many.

Atlantic cyanea lives in temperate and cool waters of the Atlantic, Pacific Ocean and Arctic seas. Sometimes it can be seen off the coast of Australia. In warm water, the jellyfish does not grow to a large size or does not survive at all. But in the cold northern sea depths it reaches impressive sizes:

• main body – 2.5 meters;
• peculiar tentacles - 35 meters.

Appearance

Medusa is very beautiful. The outer part of the dome has a darkish tint, consisting of brown and dark red stains. The older the individual, the richer its body. Young cyanides have a bright orange color interspersed with brown shades.

The body of the jellyfish is divided into 8 parts, resembling petals in shape. Pink and purple tentacles are located in groups of 50 to 120 pieces along the border line of the petals. Each tentacle is equipped with a set of stinging cells, which gives it the ability to quickly kill its prey.

All the time the jellyfish hovers in the water, contracting the muscles of the dome and making occasional flapping movements with its wings located at the edges.

According to the researchers, the jellyfish is presented in several species, but no one was able to clarify their number; disputes continue to this day. At the moment, blue and Japanese cyanides have been studied, but they are much smaller in size than the Atlantic.

Reproduction

The cyanea jellyfish comes in female and male genders. During the mating season, males fertilize females through water. Sperm released from the oral passages swim into openings on the female’s body, intended for bearing offspring. The finished larvae spend several days swimming freely, after which they attach to the substrate. From this moment their growth begins. With the arrival of spring, they detach and swim away to feed on their own. The babies look like stars with a transparent body and the absence of marginal tentacles. In summer, cyanea fry form into fully developed jellyfish.

Nutrition

Cyanea belongs to the species of predators. The jellyfish keeps its numerous tentacles spread out, forming a trapping net. The creatures hunt plankton and fish fry. The largest jellyfish in the world has a genetic predisposition to cannibalism - it can eat small relatives; a photo of developed tentacles indicates the ability to instantly kill small prey and cause serious damage to large animals.

The largest jellyfish in the world, a photo of which will help you recognize it when you meet it, is not particularly dangerous for humans. The maximum harm that cyanea can cause is a burn, which quickly passes, and an allergic reaction to toxic substances injected during the bite. No deaths have been recorded after an encounter with a jellyfish.

The largest jellyfish in the entire world's oceans, the Arctic cyanea (lat. Cyanea capillata) gained wide popularity thanks to the story “The Lion's Mane” by Arthur Conan Doyle, which told about the painful death of one of the heroes caused by an encounter with the Arctic cyanea.

In fact, rumors about its mortal danger to humans are too exaggerated. Arctic cyanea not only cannot cause death, but is not even capable of causing any serious damage to human health. The worst consequences of contact with this jellyfish are an itchy rash and, in some cases, an allergic reaction. All this can be successfully treated with compresses with vinegar.

However, Arctic cyanides are very interesting sea creatures. Let's start with the fact that cyanea live in extremely harsh climatic conditions. They can be found in the waters of the Arctic Ocean and the northern Pacific Ocean during the coldest winter months. They rarely fall below forty-second degrees north latitude and are completely absent from the waters of the southern hemisphere.

Arctic cyanides can reach truly enormous sizes. These are not only the largest of all jellyfish, but also the largest animals in the world. The diameter of one of the jellyfish, found in 1870 off the coast of Massachusetts, exceeded two meters, and the length of the tentacles reached thirty-six meters. It is believed that the cyanea bell can grow up to two and a half meters in diameter, and the tentacles can grow up to forty-five meters in length. This is much larger than the blue whale, the largest animal on the planet.

The further north the Arctic cyanide lives, the larger it is. The most impressive sizes are those of jellyfish that live in the coldest areas of the Arctic Ocean. As they approach warmer waters, the size of Arctic cyanides decreases: the smallest jellyfish are found between forty and forty-second degrees north latitude.

Typically, the diameter of the Arctic cyanide bell does not exceed two and a half meters. The length of the tentacles of these Arctic jellyfish also changes depending on the temperature of their habitat, and the color depends on the size. The largest specimens impress with rich crimson-red tones, while smaller ones are characterized by shades of pink, orange or light brown.

The body of the Arctic cyanide is a bell with blades along the edges, shaped like a hemisphere. Long tentacles, collected in eight bundles, are attached to the inner part of the blades. Each such bundle grows from sixty to one hundred and thirty tentacles. In the center of the bell there is a mouth opening, surrounded by long oral lobes, with the help of which the arctic cyanea moves the caught prey towards the mouth, connected to the stomach.

Like most jellyfish, the arctic cyanea is a voracious predator, feeding on zooplankton, small fish and ctenophores. She does not deny herself the pleasure of feasting on her relatives, such as, for example, the long-eared aurelia. In turn, Arctic cyanides are desirable prey for seabirds, large fish, sea turtles and other jellyfish.

The Arctic cyanide is the largest jellyfish in the world. This is a very interesting and mysterious creature that lives in very harsh conditions, preferring the cold waters of the Arctic. With the help of this article, we will try to get to know it better.

External description

The diameter of the jellyfish's dome reaches an average of 50-70 centimeters, but specimens up to 2-2.5 meters are often found.

Such an inhabitant of the oceans can even be called a giant. It is not for nothing that stories by writers (for example, Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Lion’s Mane”) that mention arctic cyanide are very popular. Its size, however, depends entirely on its habitat. Moreover, the further north it lives, the larger it becomes.

Arctic cyanide also has numerous tentacles that are located along the edges of the dome. Depending on the size of the jellyfish, they can reach from 20 to 40 meters in length. It is thanks to them that this sea creature has a second name - hairy jellyfish.

Its color is striking in its diversity, and young Arctic cyanides have bright colors. With age they become duller in color. Jellyfish are usually found in dirty orange, purple and brown colors.

Habitat

Arctic cyanide lives in the waters of the Arctic and Pacific oceans, where it lives almost anywhere. The only exceptions are the Azov and Black Seas.

Most often, the jellyfish prefers to be close to the shore, mainly in the upper layers of water. However, it can also be found in the open ocean.

Lifestyle of a jellyfish

The Arctic cyanea, photos of which, in addition to our article, can be found in various literature, is a rather active predator. Its diet includes plankton, crustaceans and small fish. If, due to a lack of food, the Arctic cyanea begins to starve, it can switch to its relatives, both its own species and other jellyfish.

The hunt goes as follows: it rises to the surface of the water, points its tentacles in different directions and waits. In this state, jellyfish look like algae. As soon as its prey, swimming by, touches the tentacles, the arctic cyanide immediately wraps itself around the entire body of its prey and releases a poison that can paralyze. After the prey stops moving, it eats it. Paralyzing poison is produced in the tentacles along their entire length.

In turn, Arctic cyanide can also become lunch for other jellyfish, seabirds, turtles, and it is worth noting that even the largest specimens do not pose any particular danger to humans. In the worst case, a rash appears in places of contact with this ocean inhabitant, which immediately goes away after using antiallergic drugs. Typically, this reaction occurs in a person with sensitive skin, and some people may sometimes not even notice anything.

Reproduction of arctic cyanide

This process is very interesting: the male releases sperm through his mouth, and they, in turn, enter the female’s oral cavity. This is where the formation of embryos takes place. After they grow up, they emerge as larvae, which attach to the substrate and turn into a single polyp. After several months of active growth, it begins to reproduce, due to which the larvae of future jellyfish appear.

Arctic cyanea (lat. Cyanea capillata) is the largest jellyfish in the world, which gained wide popularity thanks to Arthur Conan Doyle and his story “The Lion's Mane,” which talked about the painful and long death of one of the heroes due to an encounter with Arctic cyanide.

In fact, rumors about its fatal danger to humans are overly exaggerated. Arctic cyanide is not capable of causing death; moreover, it cannot cause serious harm to human health. The most dire consequences of touching a jellyfish are a rash and an allergic reaction. All this can be easily treated with simple compresses with vinegar.

However, the Arctic cyanide is a very interesting marine animal. It lives in extremely harsh climatic conditions. Cyanea is found in the Arctic Ocean and the northern regions of the Pacific Ocean. - Arctic cyanide rarely swims below forty-second degrees north latitude and is completely absent from the waters of the southern hemisphere.

Arctic cyanide can reach truly enormous sizes. This is the largest species of all jellyfish and the largest animal in the world's oceans. In 1870, one jellyfish was found off the coast of Massachusetts, the diameter of which reached up to two meters, and the length of the tentacles was thirty-six meters. It is generally accepted that the bell of an Arctic jellyfish can reach up to two and a half meters in diameter, and the length of the tentacles can reach up to forty-five meters. This far exceeds the size of the blue whale, which is the largest animal on the planet.

The further north the Arctic cyanea lives, the more impressive its size. The largest sizes are those of jellyfish that live in the extremely cold waters of the Arctic Ocean. Approaching fairly warm waters, the Arctic cyanea decreases in size: the smallest Arctic cyanea is found from forty to forty-two degrees north latitude.

The length of the tentacles of the Arctic jellyfish varies depending on the location and temperature of its habitat, and the color directly depends on the size. The largest individuals have rich crimson-red tones, and smaller ones have orange, pink or light brown hues. Arctic cyanide is a bell with blades along the edges in the form of a hemisphere. Long tentacles are attached to the inner part of the blades, which are collected in eight bundles. Each bundle contains from sixty to one hundred and thirty tentacles. In the center of the bell there is a mouth opening, around which long mouth lobes are attached. With their help, the jellyfish moves the caught prey towards the mouth, which connects to the stomach.

Like many jellyfish, the arctic cyanide is a voracious predator. It feeds on zooplankton, small fish and ctenophores, as well as its cousins, the long-eared aurelia. In turn, Arctic cyanide is a tasty prey for large fish, seabirds and turtles.

The seas and oceans of our planet are inhabited by unusual and beautiful creatures - jellyfish. Their shape, color and graceful movements fascinate with their sophisticated beauty. And one of the most interesting representatives of the large family of scyphoid jellyfish is an amazing creature - the Arctic cyanea - the largest jellyfish in the world. It is also known under such names as hairy cyanea, as well as lion's mane. Let's get to know this Arctic beauty better.

The largest jellyfish in the world

These interesting scyphoid representatives have tentacles that can reach up to thirty-seven meters in length, and their domes can reach 2.5 meters in diameter. Also, the Arctic cyanide takes 1st place in the list of “the longest animal on the planet.”

The largest jellyfish in the world belongs to the order Discomedus.

Habitat

Arctic cyanea is an inhabitant of moderately cold and cold waters. Although it can sometimes be found off the warm Australian coast, it is most common in the northern seas of the Pacific, Atlantic and open cold waters of the Arctic seas.

Appearance

The body of these jellyfish can differ in a variety of colors, with a predominance of red-brown shades.

The dome of the largest jellyfish in the world is also divided into eight parts, which gives it the appearance of an 8-pointed star.

This individual is the largest of all officially recorded giant Arctic cyanids.

Lifestyle

These creatures spend most of their lives in “free” swimming - hovering on the surface of sea waters, only periodically making contractions with their gelatinous dome and flapping their outer blades.

Arctic cyanide is a very active predator, feeding on plankton, various crustaceans and small fish. When there are particularly difficult “hunger years,” the largest jellyfish in the world is able to withstand a long hunger strike. But there are known cases when these creatures turn into cannibals, without “a twinge of conscience” devouring their own relatives.

Reproduction

Arctic cyanides can be either female or male.

Human interaction

Among scuba diving enthusiasts, arctic cyanea is known for its painful burns. It does not pose a serious threat to humans, since its poison is not strong enough to be fatal. Although there is only one recorded death from lion's mane poison. But this poison can cause a fairly strong allergic reaction.

This amazing creature “plows” the vastness of the World Ocean. And with other, the most “bright” and unusual representatives of scyphoids. We will continue our acquaintance on the pages of our online magazine! See you!