‫‪Invertebrates‬‬

‫”‪“JELLYFISH‬‬
‫‪Student:‬‬
‫زهراء احمد عبد النافع‬
‫سارة ذنون‬
‫زينب حسين علي‬
‫ملك بشار‬
‫‪Group-A-‬‬
What are Jellyfish?
A group of invertebrate animals composed of about 200
described species
Jellyfish are not really fish, because a fish’s anatomy is
centered on its backbone, whereas the jellyfish is a
dome-shaped invertebrate, Therefore, it’s more accurate
to refer to them simply as “jellies”.
These roving creatures, with their umbrella shape and
hanging tentacles, are most closely related to corals, sea
anemones, sea whips, and hydrozoans.
They are a microinvertebrates and falls under the
category “Cnidaria”
Purists consider the only “true jellies” to be members of
one specific class of cnidarians, but many similar looking
animals with dangling tentacles are referred to as
jellyfish.
For example, the (blue bottle) is often mistaken for a
type of jellyfish but is in fact a different type of cnidarian
that inflicts a nasty sting.

1
 Comb jellies, despite the word “jelly” in their name, are
not related to cnidarians. This is because they lack
stinging cells, which makes them harmless to humans.

Blue bottle Comb jelly

Jellyfish characteristics
Jellyfish come in all shapes and sizes. Most jellies range
from less than half an inch (1 cm) wide to about 16
inches (40 cm), though the smallest are just one
millimeter wide, The largest jellies are the Lion's Mane
Jellyfish (Cyanea capillata), which on average are around
3 feet wide.

2
Jellyfish have no brain, heart, bones or eyes. They are
made up of a smooth, bag-like body and tentacles armed
with tiny, stinging cells. These invertebrates use their
stinging tentacles to stun or paralyze prey before
gobbling it up; the jellyfish's mouth is found in the center
of its body.
Lacking brains, blood, or even hearts, jellyfish are pretty
simple critters. They are composed of three layers: an
outer layer, called the epidermis; a middle layer made of
a thick, elastic, jelly-like substance called mesoglea; and
an inner layer, called the gastrodermis.
An elementary nervous system, or nerve net, allows
jellyfish to smell, detect light, and respond to other
stimuli. The simple digestive cavity of a jellyfish acts as
both its stomach and intestine, with one opening for
both the mouth and the anus.
Jellyfish has stinging cells which they use both to capture
their prey and as a form of defense. These cells contain a
capsule with a rolled-up filament and a poison. When a
prey animal makes contact with the jellyfish, the capsule
opens and the filaments are ejected and stick onto the
prey, injecting their poison.

3
Life cycle of jellyfish and Reproduction

Jellyfish have a complex life cycle: a single jellyfish

reproduces both sexually and asexually during its
lifetime, and takes on two different body forms.
An adult jellyfish is called a medusa, which is the
familiar umbrella-shaped form that we see in the
water. Medusa jellyfish reproduce sexually by
spawning the mass release of eggs and sperm into
the open ocean with entire populations sometimes
spawning all together.
Male and female jellyfish (there aren't many
hermaphrodites) release the sperm and eggs from
their mouths. In most species, fertilization takes
place in the water; in others, the sperm swim up
into the female's mouth and fertilize the eggs
within.
The fertilized eggs then develop into planulae
(singular: planula), which are ciliated free-
swimming larvae shaped a bit like a miniature
4
flattened pear. After several days of development,
the planulae attach to a firm surface and transform
into flower-like polyps. The polyps have a mouth
and tentacles that are used to feed on zooplankton.
Polyps reproduce asexually by budding—when a
polyp divides roughly in half to produce a new
genetically identical polyp—or they can produce or
transform into medusae, depending on the type of
jellyfish. Hydrozoan polyps bud medusae from their
sides; cubozoan polyps each transform into a
medusa.
In scyphozoans, a process called strobilation .
During strobilation, a polyp splits into 10-15 plate-
like segments stacked atop one another in a tower
called a strobila. After a segment separates from
the strobila, it is called an ephyra, a juvenile
jellyfish.
Ephyrae mature into the medusa form.

5
Most jellyfish are short lived. Medusa or adult
jellyfish typically live for a few months, depending
on the species, although some species can live for
2-3 years in captivity. Polyps can live and reproduce
asexually for several years, or even decades.
One jellyfish species is almost immortal. Turritopsis
nutricula, a small hydrozoan, can revert back to the
polyp stage after reaching adult medusa stage
through a process called transdifferentiation. This is
the only animal known to do so.

6
Jellyfish food
There are around 2000 known species of jellyfish on the
planet. Regardless of species, they tend to be
carnivorous–meaning they feed on other animals.
However, jellyfish will occasionally consume plant matter
as well.
Plankton 
Plankton–zooplankton in particular– make up the
majority of a jellyfish’s diet, they live everywhere there is
saltwater, so these microscopic organisms are an easy
source of nutrients. 
Crustaceans 
Some larger jellyfish species may feed on Crustaceans.
This includes lobsters, crabs, and even shrimp. 
Unlike plankton, however, crustaceans are a bit more
difficult for jellyfish to catch. Because of this, they are not
a regular food source for jellyfish. 
It also feeds on plants, small fish and other jellyfish.

7
Diversity: Types of Jellyfish
All jellyfish are Cnidaria, an animal phylum that contains
jellies, sea anemones, and corals, among others. There
are more than 10,000 species of Cnidaria, and less than
4,000 of these are Medusazoa, those animals we think of
as jellyfish. Those 4,000 jellyfish can be divided into four
different groups:
1. SCYPHOZOA: are the most familiar jellyfish, including
most of the bigger and more colorful jellies that interact
with humans, and are sometimes called "true jellyfish"
for this reason.
Scyphozoa spend most of their lives in the medusa body
form, and there are at least 200 species.

8
2. HYDROZOA: are jellyfish look-alikes but not in the
same group as the “true jellyfish.” The swimming medusa
stages of this group are often small and inconspicuous,
whereas the bottom-dwelling polyps, or hydroids, usually
take the form of large colonies.

3. CUBOZOA: are the box jellyfish, named for their box-

like bells. Some cubozoans, such as the sea wasp
(Chironex fleckeri), produce some of the most potent
venom known. Cubozoan jellyfish also have a more
developed nervous system than other jellyfish, including
complex eyes with lenses, corneas and retinas. Some
even engage in elaborate (for a jellyfish) courtship
behavior. There are at least 36 species.

9
4. STAUROZOA: are the stalked jellyfishes, which don't
float through the water like other jellies, but rather live
attached to rocks or seaweed. They are trumpet-shaped,
and mostly live in cold water. There are around 50
staurozoan species, many notable for their unique
combination of beauty and camouflage.

10
References:

 Smithsonian Ocean http://ocean.si.edu

 Florida keys national marine sanctuary
https://floridakeys.noaa.gov
 Jellyfish: A Natural History: Gershwin, Lisa-
ann (book)
 https://europe.oceana.org/
 https://www.americanoceans.org/

11
List of content:

 Page 1: what are jelly fish

 Page 2: Jellyfish characteristics
 Page 4: Life cycle of jellyfish and
Reproduction
 Page 7: jelly fish food
 Page 8: Diversity: Types of Jellyfish
 Page 11: References

12