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| The newly-described jellyfish that is washing up on the shores of the West Coast is the Black Jellyfish, Chrysaora achlyos. The habits of this jellyfish are unknown but its color suggests that it's a midwater, or mesopelagic organism. | |||||||||
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Parasitic Barnacles on a fried-egg jellyfish, Phacellophora camschatica, were anchored to the middle of the bell on this jellyfish which arrived with the warm water coming near Santa Barbara. The Summer winds push warm water from the central parts of the Pacific to shallow, nearshore regions. | ||||||||
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| Another Fried-egg Jellyfish, Phacellophora camschatica, viewed from above the water. This one is an un-parasitized individual.
These jellyfish are carried nearshore by ocean currents primarily during the Summer months. Many will end up on the beach or torn apart by surf. |
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| A California Box Jelleyfish, Carybdea marsupialis, trolling along a shallow sandy bottom in a calm, protected part of the coast near Santa Barbara. This species of jellyfish is closely related to the deadly Sea Wasps found off Austarlia and other parts of the IndoPacific Ocean and it can capture prey such as small fish and swimming crustaceans as it swims along. This one is digesting a juvenile fish near the apex of the bell. | |||||||||
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