Pacific Sea Nettle
Scientific Name: Chrysaora fuscescens
Category: other
Brief Description
A large, free-swimming jellyfish with a golden-brown bell and long, trailing tentacles and oral arms.
Characteristics
Features a saucer-shaped bell that can reach 1 meter in diameter, typically golden-brown to reddish-orange. It has four long, ruffled oral arms and 24 reddish-maroon marginal tentacles that can extend several meters.
Habitat
Coastal waters and open ocean pelagic zones.
When to Find It
Commonly seen in large swarms (blooms) during late summer and autumn.
Conservation Status
Not Evaluated
Ecological Role
A major predator of zooplankton, small fish, and other jellyfish; serves as a food source for sea turtles and sunfish.
Easily Confused With
Atlantic Sea Nettle (Chrysaora quinquecirrha), which is typically smaller and paler, and the Compass Jellyfish (Chrysaora hysoscella), which has distinct V-shaped markings.
Observation Tips
Look for them in salt water aquariums or during seasonal blooms near the shore; avoid touching as their sting, while rarely fatal to humans, is painful.
Interesting Facts
Pacific sea nettles are comprised of 95% water and have no brain, heart, or respiratory system, relying on a simple nerve net to sense their environment.