JELLYFISH.

All photos by Keith Rittmaster

We saw the jelly fish above today at the dock. It is Chrysaora quinquecirrha or “stinging nettle”. It has a semi-transparent bell typically with small white dots and reddish-brown stripes radiating out from the center. Long tentacles extend below the bell. The bell is  1 to 12 inches in diameter. Its sting can be painful.

The two jelly fish below we often see in summer. They are the  Stomolophus meleagris or “cannonball jelly”.They are round, milky in color and somewhat rigid with a reddish-brown pattern becoming darker towards bell margin. Its tentacles are short and dense under the bell. Their sting is very mild, if felt at all. They often have small crabs and fish living all the way inside under the bell. Their round bell presents a ball-like appearance, from tennis ball size to soccer ball. The dolphin below seemed to have noticed its ball potential.