Comb Jelly

ID points

• Eight rows of comb plates beat constantly, refracting rainbows
• Body almost completely transparent, with no stinging cells on the tentacles
• Some species give off a blue-green glow at night

Basics

Family

Ctenophora

Length

2–15 cm

Depth

0-200 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic · Open ocean

Distribution

All major oceans worldwide

Habitat

Open water, surface to deep

Diet

Zooplankton

Easily confused with

Beluga WhaleAdults are pure white all over, calves are greyBox JellyfishBell shaped like a cube, with four sharply defined cornersCommon DolphinAn hourglass patch of cream and pale grey on the flank

Fun fact

Not a true jellyfish at all, but a phylum of its own, the ctenophores. As it swims, rows of beating cilia scatter the light into shifting rainbows, the finest light show in the ocean.