Chrysaora achlyos

Posted 11 May 2009 by

Chrysaora achlyos -- Black sea nettle, with H. sapiens in forefground, Monterey Bay Aquarium.

13 Comments

John Kwok · 11 May 2009

Matt,

Thanks for the fine photograph. You've given me yet another reason to visit that aquarium, though I was already well aware of its many excellent displays.

Best,

John

James F · 11 May 2009

I can't recommend the Monterey Bay Aquarium highly enough. Outstanding. The first time I'd gotten to see an ocean sunfish (Mola mola) up close.

Stanton · 11 May 2009

James F said: The first time I'd gotten to see an ocean sunfish (Mola mola) up close.
From what I've read, ocean sunfish like to be petted, but will bite fingers near their mouths, mistaking them for soft but bony shrimp.

Paul Burnett · 11 May 2009

If you have a low-light-capable video camera, you can shoot some stunning videos of these and other jellyfish. (A tripod is a real necessity.) Anybody who gets within a half-day's drive of Monterey should plan a visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The website is http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/ - it's definitely a world-class aquarium.

e-dogg · 11 May 2009

Stanton said: ...mistaking them for soft but bony shrimp.
Shrimp have bones? ;^)

dNorrisM · 11 May 2009

I actually touched an Ocean sunfish once, in the wild, in Long Island Sound, from a sailboat. Of course it immediately dove.

(And now a lead-in to the current story.)
From Wikipedia:Sunfish live on a diet that consists mainly of jellyfish.

Having gotten nailed a few times by jellyfish,(again in LI Sound) my appreciation of the fish has improved.

KP · 11 May 2009

Come on... A jellyfish can't evolve into a human...

tybee · 11 May 2009

The Charleston, South Carolina aquarium used to have a small exhibit with ping pong ball sized jelly fish that was lit with ultraviolet light. way cool.

At the Monteray Bay Aquarium, the circular minnow tank in the sunlight and the upclose view of many types of shells imbedded in a wall that are the face Jacque Cousteau from a distance are two of my more vivid memories of a visit there...

The Sanity Inspector · 11 May 2009

Anyone within a day's drive of Knoxville or Atlanta should check out those cities' aquariums.

The Sanity Inspector · 11 May 2009

Chattanooga, not Knoxville, sorry.

Stacy · 11 May 2009

Why are they all upside down?

wright · 11 May 2009

Gorgeous.

Dave Thomas · 11 May 2009

Stacy said: Why are they all upside down?
How anthropocentric!