Invertebrate · GBIF taxon 2264568
Cauliflower Jelly
Cephea cepheaAlso known as Crown Jellyfish, Cauliflower Jellyfish, Crown Jelly
Cauliflower jellies drift gracefully through warm oceanic currents, propelled by rhythmic pulsations of their broad, umbrella-like bells. A dense crown of wart-like protuberances tops the central dome, providing shelter for juvenile pelagic fishes that dart safely among the branching oral arms. Lacking marginal tentacles, they feed by filtering microscopic plankton through thousands of tiny mouth openings embedded within their frilly lower appendages.
PelagicMarineInvertebrate
Licensed referenceDerek Keats / CC BY-SA 2.0 · cc-by-sa
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Copepods
- Fish Larvae
- Zooplankton
Predators
- Leatherback Sea Turtle
- Ocean Sunfish
- Green Sea Turtle
ThreatsMarine plastic ingestion, ocean warming, and commercial net entanglement
HabitatsTropical and subtropical pelagic waters, open oceans, coastal bays, and coral reef drop-offs
Life span3–12 months
Classification
- OrderRhizostomeae
- FamilyCepheidae
- GenusCephea
- SpeciesCephea cephea
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskVery high
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is very high
- Safe to observe at a normal distance; sting is harmless to human skin.
Responsible observation
- Snorkeling Etiquette: Give drifting individuals several feet of clearance to avoid interfering with their movement.
- Gentle Observation: Avoid touching the bell or oral arms, as the soft gelatinous tissues tear easily.
Predator (c) Pam Kleinsasser, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Pam Kleinsasser · cc-by
Predator U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration / Public domain · cc0
Related Order (c) Thibaud Aronson, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Thibaud Aronson · cc-by-sa
Same Family "Fried egg jellyfish" by Aries Tottle is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
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