Beroe Jellies
Beroe
Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific / Robin Riggs
SPECIES IN DETAIL
Beroe Jellies
Beroe
CONSERVATION STATUS:
CLIMATE CHANGE:
Geographic Distribution
Beroe jellies are found in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea.
Habitat
The jellies live in the open ocean and near the shore. They can be found in waters ranging from surface to depths of 500 meters.
Physical Characteristics
Beroe jellies have a distinctive feature: plates of giant fused cilia, known as combs. These combs run up and down their bodies in eight rows. The combs allow the jelly to propel through the water as if using tiny oars. There are many other organisms that use cilia to swim, but the Comb jellies are the largest known animal. These combs often produce a rainbow effect, but it is not bioluminescence. Rather, it occurs when light is scattered by the moving cilia into different directions.
Size
The Beroe jellies can grow up to 150 millimeters (0.5 feet).
Diet
The Beroe jellies eat phytoplankton, zooplankton, crustaceans, and other small fish. They can ingest their smaller prey whole but can also consume prey larger than themselves! They eat the larger prey by biting chunks off it using their macrocilia, which line their mouth just like teeth.
Reproduction
The majority of Beroe jelly species are hermaphroditic. They carry both male and female reproduction ability. They release both sperm and eggs into the water each day and rely on nature for a match—either with the gametes from another sea jelly or even from their own.
Behavior
They are known to be solitary and pelagic animals.
Adaptation
Beroe jellies are amazing at camouflaging which is their best defense against any potential predators. They also produce a red pigment that is invisible in the darkness and allows them to hide. Sea jellies require a constant food supply in order to reproduce by releasing sperm and eggs each day. When they don’t receive enough food and nutrition, they will shrink in size and halt reproduction until they get the necessary proper nutrition.
Conservation
Sea jellies are extremely sensitive to water quality throughout their life cycle. Changes to their populations can lead to bigger environmental issues including food chain disruption.
Special Notes
Beroe jellies are ancient! Scientists think they are at least 500 million years old. Yet, they only have a few organs: a mouth with its prey-gripping macrocilia lining, channel system to transport nutrients, and a statocyst, an organ that allows sea jellies to balance. They do not have intestines, lungs, or stomach, and instead have their oxygen and nutrients passed directly through their skin! Their bodies are 95 percent water which allows them to easily float without any bones or muscles to weigh them down.
The Beroe Jellies are able to find food by detecting chemical changes in the water surrounding them. The chemicals allow the jellies to know when there are prey nearby. The sea jellies follow the chemical trail which leads them to their next meal.
Although Beroe jellies look similar to other sea jellies, they cannot sting you since they do not have any stinging cells.
SPECIES IN DETAIL | Print full entry
Beroe Jellies
Beroe
CONSERVATION STATUS:
CLIMATE CHANGE:
Beroe jellies are found in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea.
The jellies live in the open ocean and near the shore. They can be found in waters ranging from surface to depths of 500 meters.
Beroe jellies have a distinctive feature: plates of giant fused cilia, known as combs. These combs run up and down their bodies in eight rows. The combs allow the jelly to propel through the water as if using tiny oars. There are many other organisms that use cilia to swim, but the Comb jellies are the largest known animal. These combs often produce a rainbow effect, but it is not bioluminescence. Rather, it occurs when light is scattered by the moving cilia into different directions.
The Beroe jellies can grow up to 150 millimeters (0.5 feet).
The Beroe jellies eat phytoplankton, zooplankton, crustaceans, and other small fish. They can ingest their smaller prey whole but can also consume prey larger than themselves! They eat the larger prey by biting chunks off it using their macrocilia, which line their mouth just like teeth.
The majority of Beroe jelly species are hermaphroditic. They carry both male and female reproduction ability. They release both sperm and eggs into the water each day and rely on nature for a match—either with the gametes from another sea jelly or even from their own.
They are known to be solitary and pelagic animals.
Beroe jellies are amazing at camouflaging which is their best defense against any potential predators. They also produce a red pigment that is invisible in the darkness and allows them to hide. Sea jellies require a constant food supply in order to reproduce by releasing sperm and eggs each day. When they don’t receive enough food and nutrition, they will shrink in size and halt reproduction until they get the necessary proper nutrition.
Sea jellies are extremely sensitive to water quality throughout their life cycle. Changes to their populations can lead to bigger environmental issues including food chain disruption.
Beroe jellies are ancient! Scientists think they are at least 500 million years old. Yet, they only have a few organs: a mouth with its prey-gripping macrocilia lining, channel system to transport nutrients, and a statocyst, an organ that allows sea jellies to balance. They do not have intestines, lungs, or stomach, and instead have their oxygen and nutrients passed directly through their skin! Their bodies are 95 percent water which allows them to easily float without any bones or muscles to weigh them down.
The Beroe Jellies are able to find food by detecting chemical changes in the water surrounding them. The chemicals allow the jellies to know when there are prey nearby. The sea jellies follow the chemical trail which leads them to their next meal.
Although Beroe jellies look similar to other sea jellies, they cannot sting you since they do not have any stinging cells.