Moon Jellyfish

ID points

• Bell almost transparent, with four horseshoe-shaped gonads in the centre
• A fringe of very short, fine tentacles around the bell margin
• The bell pulses steadily, opening and closing to move along

Basics

Family

Ulmaridae

Length

10–40 cm

Depth

0-100 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic · Temperate & polar

Distribution

Coastal waters of temperate and tropical seas worldwide

Habitat

Coastal surface waters

Diet

Zooplankton

Easily confused with

Box JellyfishBell shaped like a cube, with four sharply defined cornersNautilusCoiled hard shell with brown and white flame-like stripesStriped DolphinSeveral fine dark blue stripes run from the eye to the vent

Fun fact

In the centre of the transparent bell of the Moon Jellyfish sit 4 horseshoe-shaped gonads, clearly visible through the body, and they are what the animal is named for. Its stinging cells are extremely weak and it is essentially harmless to people.