Soft, free-swimming sea animals with a bell-shaped body and stinging tentacles. They have no true brain and have existed for at least 500 million years, making them the oldest multi-organ animal group.
Quick answers
What is it?Cnidarian
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?Yes
Stings from some box jellyfish, such as Chironex fleckeri, are extremely painful and often fatal to people.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?Sometimes
Do people eat it?In places
Some jellyfish are eaten, pressed and salted, as a delicacy in some Asian countries.
At a glance
Found inOceans
HabitatOpen ocean, Coast
ColoursClear, Blue, Pink
SizeMedium
LengthAbout 1 mm to nearly 2 m across the bell
LegsNone
Lives inblooms
Lives for1 year
Can swim
Lays eggs
In the wild
Did you know
No brain, no heart, no blood, and older than the dinosaurs.
Jellyfish sometimes gather in huge masses called blooms.
Often confused with
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