Lion's mane jellyfish

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Lion's mane jellyfish
Conservation status
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Scyphozoa
Order: Semaeostomeae
Family: Cyaneidae
Genus: Cyanea
Species: C. capillata
Binomial name
Cyanea capillata
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata), also known as hair jelly,[1] is the largest known species of jellyfish. Its range is confined to cold, boreal waters of the Arctic, northern Atlantic, and northern Pacific Oceans. Similar jellyfish, which may be the same species, are known to inhabit seas near Australia and New Zealand. The largest recorded specimen found, washed up on the shore of Massachusetts Bay in 1870, had a bell (body) with a diameter of 2.3 metres (7 ft 6 in) and tentacles 37 m (120 ft) long.[2] Lion's mane jellyfish have been observed below 42°N latitude for some time—specifically in the larger bays of the east coast of the United States.

While the lion's mane jellyfish generally use their stinging tentacles to capture prey, sea anemones can capture their tentacles, which then become tangled, torn apart and consumed.[3]


Cyanea sp.




At 37 m (120 ft) in length, the largest known specimen was longer than a blue whale and is considered one of the longest known animals in the world.[2] This title, however, may be contested: in 1864, a bootlace worm (Lineus longissimus) was found washed up on a Scottish shore that was 55 m (180 ft) long. But because bootlace worms can easily stretch to several times their natural length, it is possible the worm did not actually grow to be that length.

The bell is divided into eight lobes. An ostentatiously tangled arrangement of colorful arms emanates from the centre of the bell, much shorter than the silvery, thin tentacles which emanate from the bell's subumbrella.




Predators of the lion's mane jellyfish include seabirds, larger fish such as Ocean sunfish, other jellyfish species, and sea turtles.[5] The Leatherback sea turtle feeds almost exclusively on them in large quantities during the summer season around Eastern Canada.[6] The jellyfish themselves feed mostly on zooplankton, small fish, ctenophores, and moon jellies.[7]

Behavior and reproduction[edit]

Small, dead lion's mane jelly washing up on the beach



Sting and human contact[edit]

Most encounters cause temporary pain and localized redness.[10] In normal circumstances, and in healthy individuals, their stings are not known to be fatal. Historical remedies have included: vinegar, isopropyl alcohol, and meat tenderizer.[11] However, none of these remedies are proven as first aid for jellyfish stings, and as such none are recommended for any jellyfish sting treatment.


In popular culture[edit]


On the popular television program QI the show claimed that the longest animal in the world was the lion's mane jellyfish, but this was later corrected - as the longest animal in the world is actually the bootlace worm.



  2. ^ a b "Lion’s Mane Jellyfish - Reference Library". redOrbit. Retrieved 2010-09-03. 
  5. ^ a b c "Lions Mane Jellyfish". Types Of Jellyfish. Retrieved 2010-09-03. 
  8. ^ "SCDNR - Jelly fish". Retrieved 2010-09-03. 
  9. ^ "Open ocean - Jellyfish life cycle - Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand". 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2010-09-03. 
  11. ^ Meat Tenderizer for a Jellyfish Sting, Healthline
  12. ^ POSTED: 3:12 pm EDT July 21, 2010 (2010-07-21). "150 Stung By Jellyfish At Rye Beach - New Hampshire News Story - WMUR Manchester". Retrieved 2010-09-03. 

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