Chrysaora fuscescens

Common card · No. 405645

Chrysaora fuscescens, the Pacific sea nettle or West Coast sea nettle, is a regionally distributed jellyfish that lives in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, in temperate waters off of British Columbia and the West Coast of the United States, ranging south to Point Conception. The Pacific sea nettle earned its common name in-reference to its, 'nettle'-like sting; much like the stinging nettle plant (Urtica dioica), this sea nettle's sting is often irritating or itchy(possibly mildly painful) to humans, rarely dangerous. The Pacific sea nettle has a distinctive, golden-brown bell with a reddish tint. The bell can grow to be ~50 cm in diameter in the wild. The long and spiraling, whitish oral arms (and 24, maroon tentacles) may trail behind the nettle as far as 15 feet (4.6 m). Since about the 1990s, C. fuscescens has proven to be a very popular cnidarian to feature at aquariums (and even some zoos with aquatic exhibits), mainly due to the public's fascination with their bright colors and extremely...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Ed Bierman from Redwood City, USA, CC BY 2.0