……objective science for conservation…….

The Pacific WildLife Foundation is a non-profit coastal and marine research and education society  that inspires an appreciation for objective scientific research and conservation of the ocean. We conduct original research, develop novel education programs, and inspire an appreciation for conservation of the ocean. 

 
 
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Lion’s Mane Jellyfish Cyanea capillata

Jellyfish is the common name for many species of what scientists refer to as cnidarians (pronounced with a silent ‘c’).  The root of cnidaria is ‘nettle’ in Greek that refers to the stinging tentacles of some species. The two types of cnidarians are the Hydrozoa and the Scyphozoa. The largest scyphozoan in the North Pacific is the lion’s mane jelly. Large specimens can exceed 2 m in diameter with 9 m long tentacles. It is often abundant in coastal waters in late summer. The tentacles can give a nasty sting so it is best to leave this animal alone. Meat tenderizer is supposedly a good antidote of stings. Stranded jellies look like blobs of gelatinous mass on the beach but in the water they are graceful creatures. The lion’s mane jelly is a pelagic species found in the Pacific Ocean from Mexico to Alaska. It eats plankton caught in the mesh of trailing tentacles that are drawn up to the mouth under the bell. Jellyfish are eaten by sea turtles.

June 2010

 

photo by Lenore Caldwell, July 2008

West Porpoise Bay, Sunshine Coast, BC

 

The caption from the Coast Reporter Newspaper  for Friday August 8, 2008, said: 

WEST PORPOISE BAY: Sierra Therrien from Chilliwack, visiting with her grandmother on Sunday, July 20th, saw many large jellyfish in West Porpoise Bay near the government dock.  This is by far the largest, measuring about 1.3 metres (four feet) across.  According to local biologist and photographer Duane Sept (www.septphoto.com) this is the Lion's Mane Jelly (Cyanea capillata), the largest species of jellyfish in the world.  The bell (the central area) normally grows to 50 cm (20 inches) in diameter but can grow up to two metres (6.6 feet) across.  This bell is surrounded by hundreds of slender stinging tentacles that can trail up to nine metres (30 feet) long. This species should not be touched when it is alive or dead, since the tentacles can produce a sting.  If you do get stung, try meat tenderizer on the affected area. 

 

 

 
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