Moon Jelly
Aurelia aurita
Habitat: Coastal, surface waters
Depth: To 5m
Food: Plankton
Length: Up to 25cm diameter
Lifespan: 1 year as adults, polyp stage may exist for 20 years
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Moon jellies are the most common jellyfish species around our coast. Jellyfish spend much of their adult life bobbing about on the surface of the sea as plankton, trapping smaller plankton in the long tentacles that line the edge of the body, or 'bell'. The adult moon jellies produce eggs, which develop into larvae before they settling down on a rocky surface where they can attach themselves. At this point they are called ‘polyps’. Polyps bud off tiny jelly babies each Spring which can take several months to become fully grown.