Jul 17, 2024
That one time we spotted a jellyfish with googly eyes 👀
This egg-yolk jelly, Phacellophora camtschatica, is playing host to a couple of barnacles growing on its bell. These slow-moving jellies can grow up to two feet (61 centimeters) in diameter and have hundreds of tentacles that extend over 20 feet (six meters) in length. This species often plays host to other animals like the medusa fish, Icichthys lockingtoni.
Our researchers observed this individual at 826 meters (2,700 feet) deep in Monterey Bay. These barnacles are most likely Alepas pacifica, known to be a symbiont of jellyfish.
