Lion’s Mane Jellyfish

One of the biggest species of jellyfish is the Lion's Mane Jellyfish (Cyanea capillata), also known as the enormous jellyfish, arctic red jellyfish, or the hair jelly. It only inhabits the arctic, northern Atlantic, and northern pacific oceans' frigid, boreal waters. It is widespread in the North Sea, Irish Sea, English Channel, and waters around western Scandinavia south to Kattegat and resund. Additionally, it might float toward the southwest corner of the Baltic Sea (where it cannot breed due to the low salinity).

This jellyfish gets its name from the flamboyant, trailing tentacles that resemble a lion's mane. They can reach bell diameters of over 2 m (6 ft 7 inch), however, those found in lower latitudes are considerably smaller than their far northern cousins, with a bell of about 50 cm (20 inches). The manes of very young lions are occasionally white, while those of adults are red and get darker with age. Juveniles have a lighter shade of orange or brown. The bell of the lion's mane jellyfish is divided into eight lobes that resemble an eight-pointed star, as opposed to the round bell of most jellyfish like the moon jelly. Each lobe has roughly 70 to 150 tentacles, which are arranged in four fairly distinct rows.