{"id":1644,"date":"2022-03-03T02:27:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-03T02:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interestinganimalfacts.com\/?p=1644"},"modified":"2022-03-03T02:27:03","modified_gmt":"2022-03-03T02:27:03","slug":"what-do-jellyfish-eat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interestinganimalfacts.com\/what-do-jellyfish-eat\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do Jellyfish Eat?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
One of the many wonders of the ocean, jellyfish are odd, unique creatures that live underwater. They come in many shapes and sizes, some are even venomous or can sting while others can not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bouncy and delightful creatures are quite often translucent and an absolute joy to ponder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘Jellyfish’ is the most common term to describe animals of a gelatinous look, however, they are many species of jellyfish that exist, including box jellyfish, sea nettle, Portuguese man-of-war, moon jellyfish, lion’s mane jellyfish, sea wasp, and sea hare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each has its distinct shape and coloration. The lifeline of a jellyfish also varies depending on the species, but most will live for less than a year, with some species only living for a few days! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what do these strange and amazing creatures eat? Let’s find out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first thing you need to know about jellyfish is that they’re not fish at all! They’re cnidarians (a type of animal) which means they have no backbone and no bones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It allows them to move around easily because they don’t have any extra weight holding them down, which is what gives them their jelly-like appearance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They are usually found in tropical waters, where there is plenty of sunlight and warm temperatures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, if conditions change too much, they may migrate to cooler water. Jellyfish are known to be carnivorous, meaning they feed on other organisms such as plankton, small fish, crustaceans, mollusks, worms, etc. Some species are more predatory than others, so it depends on the jellyfish species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jellyfish are classified into two main groups: Scyphozoa and Cubozoa. Scyphozoa includes the box jellies, sea wasps, Portuguese man o’ war, and stinging cells. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These jellyfish have tentacles that contain nematocysts, which are used to capture prey. Nematocysts are tiny harpoons that inject venom when touched by a predator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cubozoan jellyfish are similar to Scyphozoa, except they have eight arms instead of six. Both types of jellyfish use their tentacles to catch food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A jellyfish’s diet will mostly consist of sea plants (phytoplankton), copepods, and fish eggs or small fish larvae. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some species of jellyfish have even been known to eat other jellyfishes! Jellyfish often swim in Blooms. What is a Bloom, you may ask? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Bloom is the phrase used by scientists when a huge number of animals or plants appear suddenly. Jellyfish typically swim in a bloom of almost a million! That’s a lot of jellyfish needing a lot of food! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When this happens it can cause problems for fisheries as not a lot of food is left after a bloom of jellyfish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But why do they swim in groups so large? Jellyfish are not very good at swimming and tend to simply float or drift around the ocean. A Bloom forms when two currents from the sea meet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bigger and smaller jellyfish have different diets. Larger jellyfish like the Portuguese man o’ war, moon jellies, and box jellyfish prefer larger prey items such as fish, shrimp, crabs, and octopus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smaller jellyfish like the moon jelly and basket star prefer smaller prey items like copepods and krill. If a jellyfish does not get enough food, it will eventually die. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is called senescence. Senescent jellyfish will sink to the bottom of the seafloor and decompose over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n