Step into the captivating world of sea jellies in a new immersive experience at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Discover their beauty, diversity, and soul-soothing effects as you drift through a gallery filled with hundreds of sea jellies from around the world set amidst mediative lighting and dream-like soundscapes. Explore species never seen at the Aquarium and learn how we provide state-of-the-art animal care to these remarkable gelatinous creatures.
Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific/Robin Riggs
Jelly Facts
- Sea jellies have no heart, brains, or gills and are relatives of sea anemones and corals.
- They have existed on Earth before the time of dinosaurs and have adapted to every ocean environment on Earth.
- Jellies range in size from a pencil eraser to longer than a blue whale.
- True jellies have three main parts: the umbrella-like bell, which pulses them into motion; tentacles equipped with nematocysts that sting and immobilize prey; and oral arms or flaps that are used to transport prey to their stomach and to brood young.
- Comb jellies are in a group of animals called ctenophores. While not true sea jellies, comb jellies have similar translucent gelatinous bodies. Comb jellies do not sting. They move their tiny, hair-like cilia for propulsion, which causes nearby light to refract into a rainbow of colors.
- Sea jellies mostly eat zooplankton, small crustaceans, fish, or other sea jellies depending on their species.
- The average life span of a sea jelly is about one year.
- A group of sea jellies is called a smack.
Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific/Andrew Reitsma
Jelly Care
The Aquarium is committed to setting the standard in animal well-being and welfare to ensure our animals are healthy, happy, and thrive under our care. This includes restaurant-quality food and state-of-the art health care.
Achieving the right conditions for jellies to thrive takes a team—animal care, water quality, and life support. The Aquarium propagates and raises over forty species of jellies. We also grow their food. These efforts are part of the Aquarium’s commitment to sustainable aquaculture and providing state-of-the-art care to all of our animals.
Jellies are housed in special curved-shaped aquariums with carefully monitored water flow, lighting, temperature, salinity, pH, and more. In line with the Aquarium’s overall animal welfare assessment program, each jelly is regularly assessed for body condition, feeding response, growth, water parameters, and other factors to ensure a high quality of life.
For more information on sea jellies, check out our Pacific Currents online magazine.