Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: johnny_c on 26/06/2009 22:41:21

Title: What is this?!?
Post by: johnny_c on 26/06/2009 22:41:21

Hi there!

I was at the beach in Ventura California and I saw this very strange globular thing. After taking a few pictures of it, I prodded it with a stick. It was jelly like, though I couldn't pierce the object with my stick (didn't want to kill anything so I was gentle),  and looked as if it had something in it.
Did I discover a weird type of tentacle-less jelly? What is this strange thing? Oh, the bubbles in the pictures are actually in it, not on top. They looked like very large cells dividing or something. Oh, and it was about 3-4 inches long I think. Though you can't really see it in the picture, it did have what looked like a thin red vessel structure? I'm not really sure what it was. Any help would be great! Thanks! 



 [ Invalid Attachment ]  [ Invalid Attachment ]

Title: What is this?!?
Post by: JnA on 27/06/2009 02:15:56

http://www.nwmarinelife.com/htmlswimmers/m_cellularia.html


"Description: Frequently exceeds a diameter of 5 cm; bell is saucer-shaped and gelatinous; there are four radial canals; gonads are wavy and run the entire length of the radial canals; at least 250 marginal tentacles; mouth opens directly into the stomach.

Habitat: Pelagic, floats near shore.

Natural History: They are vertical migrators that feed on crustacean eggs and larvaceans. We found this jellyfish floating around the docks of East Bay Marina."


Maybe.. not all jelly's have long tentacles.

Title: What is this?!?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 27/06/2009 02:24:00

Hey, I saw something like that at the beach the other day, two of them.

Title: What is this?!?
Post by: johnny_c on 27/06/2009 04:14:11

Really?? I only saw one and all I had was my phone so those pictures aren't the greatest quality. Didn't want to walk back home and get the camera =]

Hey, thanks JnA. The strange thing is that it didn't seem to have a visible opening or even float. It wouldn't move on the surf and sort of just sat there. Maybe a weird sort of egg? I really know nothing about marine biology so I have no idea. I really would like to know what it was though. 

Title: What is this?!?
Post by: LeeE on 27/06/2009 16:57:28

It might be a Ctenophore, more commonly known as a 'comb jelly'.  The air bubbles have probably leaked into its stomach, through its mouth, when it was washed ashore.  They come in a very wide range of sizes and shapes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comb_jelly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comb_jelly)