Aurelia aurita
The Moon Jellyfish is a very simple animal. They are 95% water, have a mouth, digestive system and a simple nervous system. The four brown internal rings are reproductive organs.
Having no lungs they absorb oxygen through their body
surface. These jellies are poor swimmers, only able to
maintain a level position close to the surface by
pulsations of their body. This floating position is optimal for allowing their short tentacles to capture plankton, fish eggs, small mollusks and shrimp.
Moon Jellyfish can grow to 2 feet in diameter and
are a food source for birds and turtles. Plastic
bags can resemble these jellies and thousands of
animals die by mistakenly ingesting this rubbish..
The Moon Jelliy's tentacles have stinging cells, but are not powerful enough to penetrate through human skin. One should however avoid touching this jelly, as some
people are sensitive to the sting. When a Moon Jelly dies, its body comes apart and clear blobs can be found on the beach. In this state they often do not have any sting cells remaining.
Live shells should never be taken from any Florida State Park.