# Chrysaora quinquecirrha

The Chrysaora quinquecirrha, also known as the Atlantic sea nettle, is a beautiful jellyfish with long, flowing tentacles. It glides through the water and can be found in warm coastal areas, making it a fascinating sight for ocean lovers!

- **Category:** [Invertebrate](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/invertebrate)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate
- **Habitat:** Coastal areas
- **Also known as:** Atlantic Sea Nettle

![Chrysaora quinquecirrha](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Chrysaora_quinquecirrha.JPG&width=800)

Photo: Anastasia Shesterinina, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chrysaora_quinquecirrha.JPG)

## Appearance

The Chrysaora quinquecirrha is a bell-shaped jellyfish, usually translucent white or yellowish with reddish-brown stripes radiating from its center. It possesses long, ribbon-like oral arms and numerous delicate stinging tentacles that hang beneath its bell.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Cnidaria
- **Class:** Scyphozoa
- **Order:** Semaeostomeae
- **Family:** Pelagiidae
- **Genus:** Chrysaora

## Interesting facts

- A group of jellyfish is surprisingly called a 'smack' or a 'bloom'!
- Its long tentacles can stretch up to 5 meters, much longer than a car!
- They have no brain or heart, but they are still amazing hunters!
- This jellyfish's bell can reach the size of a dinner plate!

## Special abilities

- **Stinging Streamers:** Chrysaora quinquecirrha has long trailing tentacles equipped with stinging cells that help them catch unsuspecting prey.
- **Pulsating Propulsion:** Chrysaora quinquecirrha can pulse its bell to gently move through the water, allowing them to drift with currents.
- **Bioluminescent Bling:** Chrysaora quinquecirrha can sometimes glow with light, a cool ability that helps them startle predators or attract mates.

## Measurements & details

- **Length:** 5-25 cm
- **Weight:** 0.05-0.5 kg
- **Lifespan:** 0.5-1 years
- **Swim Speed:** 0.5 km/h
- **Maximum Depth:** 50 m
- **Water Type:** Saltwater

## Diet & Feeding

This jellyfish is a predator, using its stinging tentacles to catch small creatures that swim by.

- **Primary Foods:** zooplankton, small crustaceans, comb jellies, fish larvae, other jellyfish
- **Foraging Method:** Ambush

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** [loggerhead sea turtle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/loggerhead-sea-turtle) (*Caretta caretta*) — Turtles are predators of jellyfish.
- **Eats:** ocean sunfish (*Mola mola*) — This giant fish feasts on jellyfish.
- **Hunts:** sea walnut (*Mnemiopsis leidyi*) — Jellyfish sometimes consume comb jellies.

## Traits

- [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Filter Feeder](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/filter-feeder): Filter feeders obtain nutrients by straining suspended food particles and small organisms from water.
- [Gliding](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/gliding): Gliding animals move through the air by launching themselves and maintaining flight with specialized body structures, without flapping wings.
- [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater.
- [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue.
- [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment.
- [Marine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/marine): Marine habitats encompass all saltwater environments of the Earth's oceans, supporting an immense diversity of aquatic life.
- [Glowing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/glowing): Pertaining to organisms that emit light through bioluminescence or fluorescence.
- [Venomous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/venomous): Venomous organisms produce toxins that are injected into another animal, typically through a bite or sting.

## Collections

- [Fish](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fish)

## Safety

**Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate

Never touch jellyfish, as they can sting and hurt you.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Chrysaora quinquecirrha?

Compare body symmetry, shells, segments, legs, tentacles and how the animal moves. Invertebrates span many unrelated groups, so start with body structure. Invertebrate Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How long is Chrysaora quinquecirrha?

5-25 cm

### How much does Chrysaora quinquecirrha weigh?

0.05-0.5 kg

### How long does Chrysaora quinquecirrha live?

0.5-1 years

### What does Chrysaora quinquecirrha eat?

This jellyfish is a predator, using its stinging tentacles to catch small creatures that swim by.

### How fast can Chrysaora quinquecirrha swim?

0.5 km/h

### Where is Chrysaora quinquecirrha usually found?

Coastal areas

### How does Chrysaora quinquecirrha hunt?

Ambush

## More Invertebrate

- [Coral](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coral)
- [Crab Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/crab-spider) (*Mecaphesa asperata*)
- [Garden Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-spider) (*Araneus diadematus*)
- [Brown Recluse Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-recluse-spider) (*Loxosceles reclusa*)

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Source: [Chrysaora quinquecirrha: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/chrysaora-quinquecirrha)
