washed-up jellyfish

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adamschneider
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washed-up jellyfish

Post by adamschneider » October 21st, 2013, 9:20 pm

Okay, this isn't from a hike, unless you call it "hiking" when I walk from my beach chair to the surf and back again. :)

Anyway, I found this today, and lots more like it, washed up onto Cannon Beach at high tide.
jellyfish.jpg
At first I thought they were chunks of kelp that had gone funky and slimy, because a lot of them were no longer intact, and the dark stringy tentacles around the outside really look plant-like. (And there WERE some seaweed strands lying around too.) But it's definitely a jellyfish; do we have any marine life enthusiasts in the house who might know which kind?

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jessbee
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Re: washed-up jellyfish

Post by jessbee » October 21st, 2013, 10:06 pm

Yes, looks like a sea nettle to me:

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/anim ... BrDNhDNA==

Google "washed up sea nettle" and the photos look pretty much like yours. Sea nettles are common and you've probably seen them in an aquarium before.
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adamschneider
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Re: washed-up jellyfish

Post by adamschneider » October 22nd, 2013, 8:52 am

Yeah, that must be it: Chrysaora fuscescens, for those of you playing along at home.

I've seen and photographed sea nettles at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but I didn't recognize them without their long fluffy central arms; those must disintegrate in the pounding surf.

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