Species · GBIF taxon 2267514
Crystal Jelly
Aequorea victoriaAlso known as Water Jelly, Many-ribbed Jelly, Crystal Jellyfish
Crystal jellies are elegant, translucent hydrozoans famous for their delicate, umbrella-like bells fringed with up to a hundred slender tentacles. They drift gracefully through coastal Pacific waters, glowing with a soft green bioluminescence when disturbed or agitated. This remarkable glowing ability led to the discovery of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), a revolutionary tool in modern biomedical research.
BioluminescentTranslucentCoastal
Licensed referenceMagic5227 at English Wikipedia / Public domain · cc0
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Copepods
- Comb Jellies
- Larval Fish
Predators
- Lion's Mane Jellyfish
- Ocean Sunfish
- Sea Birds
ThreatsOcean acidification, warming sea temperatures, and coastal pollution
HabitatsPelagic coastal waters, bays, and open ocean of the eastern Pacific
Life span6 months to 1 year
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyAequoreidae
- SpeciesAequorea victoria
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe; their mild sting is generally imperceptible to humans.
Responsible observation
- Night Viewing: Look for them from docks or boats on dark nights, gently swirling the water to trigger their green bioluminescent glow.
- Gentle Drift: Observe their delicate forms in calm bays and harbors during late summer when populations peak.
- Avoid Touching: Keep a respectful distance to protect their fragile, watery bodies from tearing.
Frequent Companion (c) A H, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by A H · cc-by
Predator Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
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