The deep-sea crown jelly (Atolla sp.) is one of the most common jellies in the ocean’s depths. Most have a distinctive elongated tentacle that can be up to six times the diameter of the jelly’s bell. Scientists suspect that characteristic trailing tentacle helps this jelly capture food. As a hungry Atolla pulses along, that long tentacle snags crustaceans or other prey.
But Atolla is not the only clever hunter in the deep sea. Predators lurk in the darkness, ready to pounce. The bright red bell helps keep Atolla hidden—in the deep sea, red appears black. If Atolla’s crimson camouflage does not work, this jelly sounds the alarm with pinwheels of brilliant blue bioluminescence. A burst of light in the dark water not only disorients predators but also acts like a burglar alarm telling larger predators there is something interesting happening here. The threat of a bigger predator scares off any immediate danger, allowing the jelly to swim to safety. Learn more on our website.
Atolla jellyfish, are among the few jelly's I don't like but that's beside the point, are a bioluminescent species of crown jellyfish who gained the nickname of, "alarm jellyfish" because when attacked, it will launch a series of flashes, whose function is to draw predators who will be more interested in the attacker than itself :3
I like your marine bio posts! do you mind me asking what your favorite kind of jellyfish is 👀 personally I like black sea nettles solely bc of how mind-bogglingly huge they are
thank you so much! and thank you for the ask. Black Sea nettles r so cool!! they’re so fuckingh leviathan. absolutely cryptid of an invertebrate. you have good taste in cnidaria
I would love to expand my knowledge on kinds of jellyfish, but currently my favs are egg yolk jellies, Cassiopeia jellies and atolla jellies! Cassiopeias are my favorites because they remind me of cauliflower, and I was able to see some went i went kayaking in the everglades once! they’ll always hold a special place in my heart <33
so like, Atollidae (the family of Atolla Jellyfish) is called "ヒラタカムリクラゲ科" in Japanese (translating to "Flat Crown Jellyfish" in English- very literal). This is a little weird, since the jellyfish in the family are known as "Purple Crown Jellyfish"
meanwhile, the family Periphyllidae is known simply as "クロカムリクラゲ科," or just "Black Crown Jellyfish"
which is funny considering that the jellyfish in this family are also known as "Black Crown Jellyfish" (I suspect the family is simply named after the common name of the animal, haha)
I'm not sure why I find it so funny tbh 🤔🤔, the fact that they decide to be literal with the family Atollidae while sticking to the common name with the family Periphyllidae is just a little weird to me ig?
When it comes to the common names, the naming conventions are eerily similar ("Purple Crown Jellyfish" and "Black Crown Jellyfish"), so ig the family names not reflecting this is kind of funny
The deep-sea crown jelly (Atolla sp.) is one of the most common jellies in the ocean’s depths. Most have a distinctive elongated tentacle that can be up to six times the diameter of the jelly’s bell. Scientists suspect that characteristic trailing tentacle helps this jelly capture food. As a hungry Atolla pulses along, that long tentacle snags crustaceans or other prey.
But Atolla is not the only clever hunter in the deep sea. Predators lurk in the darkness, ready to pounce. The bright red bell helps keep Atolla hidden—in the deep sea, red appears black. If Atolla’s crimson camouflage does not work, this jelly sounds the alarm with pinwheels of brilliant blue bioluminescence. A burst of light in the dark water not only disorients predators but it also acts like a burglar alarm telling larger predators there is something interesting happening here. The threat of a bigger predator scares off any immediate danger, allowing the jelly to swim to safety.
Learn more about this regal resident of the deep on our Creature feature.
The Atolla Jelly is a fiery, red jellyfish that has an extraordinary display of bioluminescence. When the jelly is attacked, it uses bioluminescence to produce thousands of vibrant, blue flashes; the blue flashes act as an alarm, which draws in bigger predators and warns prey. The jelly can be found at depths between 600 m to 1500m, and it also has a long hypertrophied tentacle that aids in reproduction.
Mermay Day 13
The Atolla Jellyfish, or Atolla wyvillei, is a mid-water species found all over the world. This species, due to it's natural habitat, has bio-luminescent qualities. Its blue-topped bell shows up distinctly in the great depths this creature resides in.