📷 Arnstein Rønning · CC BY 3.0
📷 W.carter
📷 MPF
IUCN: Not Evaluated
Lion’s Mane Jellyfish
Cyanea capillata
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassScyphozoa›OrderSemaeostomeae›FamilyCyaneidae›GenusCyanea
About
The lion’s mane jellyfish carries a dome the size of a beach ball and a trailing mane of tentacles that can reach longer than a blue whale, making it one of the longest animals on the planet. Its 1,200 or so tentacles are armed with stinging cells that stun fish and shrimp, which are then ferried by ciliated grooves up into a mouth beneath the bell. Massive blooms in the North Atlantic and North Pacific are a summer spectacle — and a good reason to look before you swim.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Cold northern seas, often near the surface in bays and coastal waters
🍃Diet Small fish, crustaceans, zooplankton, and other jellyfish
📏Size & Weight Bell about 30–100 cm across; tentacles up to 30 m or more
•Weight Large specimens can exceed 200 kg
⏳Lifespan About 1 year as a medusa
🗺Range Cold waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, and North Pacific
Invertebrate
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Cold northern seas, often near the surface in bays and coastal waters
🍃Diet Small fish, crustaceans, zooplankton, and other jellyfish
📏Size & Weight Bell about 30–100 cm across; tentacles up to 30 m or more
•Weight Large specimens can exceed 200 kg
⏳Lifespan About 1 year as a medusa
🗺Range Cold waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, and North Pacific
Photo Credits
#1Arnstein Rønning · CC BY 3.0
#2W.carter · CC0
#3MPF · CC BY-SA 4.0
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