Jul 18, 2018
A choir of bell jellies!!
Based on the reaction from yesterday’s beachcombing Instagram Story, we went back to Asilomar State Beach to share our findings with Periscope and Facebook Live.
After spending some time with various algae and moon jellies, we ventured down the beach only to find that Polyorchis bell jellies were also making their way around the Monterey Peninsula!
Bell jellies are different from moon jellies—they’re a hydrozoan medusa, not a scyphozoan medusa. They’re crystal clear with filamentous guts and gonads, and with conspicuous red eyespots along the eye of their bell, earning them the name “red eye medusa.”
You never know what you’ll find on the beach!