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Lion’s Mane Jellyfish

With a bell that can be up to 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) across, and tentacles speculated to grow up to 36.6 meters (120 feet) long, the lion’s mane jellyfish is among the largest jellyfish species in the world!

 

Named for its flowing, hair-like tentacles that resemble a lion’s mane, this jelly drifts through cold and temperate waters of the Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific, North Sea and Baltic Sea. It is striking both for its massive size and bright colors of pink, reddish-gold, or brownish-violet. Beneath its bell hangs over 1,000 tentacles, each of which contains stinging cells called nematocysts. 

These special stinging cells help the jellyfish snag a snack! The lion’s mane jellyfish will position itself above fish, spread out its tentacles, then slowly sink down towards its prey, catching it in its tentacle net and stunning it with its nematocysts. While their sting is powerful and may be painful to humans, they do not intentionally sting people. Unusual for jellyfish, they are known to come together in shoals, which can sometimes be a kilometer (0.6 miles) long!

 

 

Currently, this species is not known to face any major threats. While its population has not been assessed, it is not thought to be in danger of extinction.

 

 

Healthy, abundant oceans are key for ocean ecosystems to remain in balance and allow all ocean species to thrive for generations to come. Learn more about Oceana’s campaigns to protect ocean marine biodiversity and abundance here.

 

 

  • Animal Diversity Web 
  • McClain CR, Balk, MA, Benfield, MC et al. (2015) Sizing ocean giants: patterns of intraspecific size variation in marine megafauna. PeerJ 13;3:e715. doi: 10.7717/peerj.715 
  • Sigurdsson, GM, Lüskow F, Gislason A, and Svavarsson J. (2024) Detached tentacles of lion’s mane jellyfish Cyanea capillata can injure aquaculture fish. Aquaculture Environmental Interactions 16: 263-266. https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00488 

 

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