It is no secret that in each group of vertebrate animals (type, class, family, genus) there are record holders for certain achievements. Invertebrates are not far behind them, because among them there are also those who can be envied! One such creature is the giant jellyfish cyanaea.
Giant in the sea
Hairy cyanide is the largest jellyfish in the world. This is a real giant of the seas and oceans. Its full name is Cuanea arctica, which is translated from Latin as "jellyfish arctic cyaney." This creature, beautifully glowing in pink and purple, can be found in the high latitudes of the Earth’s northern hemisphere: jellyfish is common in all the northern seas that flow into the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. You can see it directly near the coast, in the upper layers of water. Researchers studying hairy cyanide initially searched for it in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, but never found it.
Jellyfish cyanidea. Impressive size
According to the latest oceanographic research, which is given by the members of the expedition of the so-called Cousteau team, the diameter of the gelatinous “body” (or dome) of the cyanide can reach 2.5 m. But that's what! The pride of a hairy Arctic jellyfish is its tentacles. The length of these processes ranges from 26 to 42 m! Scientists have come to the conclusion that the size of these jellyfish depends entirely on the conditions of their habitat. According to statistics, it is the individuals that inhabit the coldest oceanic waters that are huge in size.
External structure
The hairy jellyfish cyanosis has a rather diverse coloration of its body. Brown, violet and red tones prevail here. When a jellyfish becomes an adult, its dome (“body”) from above begins to clearly yellow, and its edges turn red. The tentacles located along the edges of the dome have a purple-pink hue, and the oral lobes are red-crimson. It is because of the long tentacles that they called cyanide a hairy (or hairy) jellyfish. The dome itself, or bell, of the Arctic cyanide has a hemispherical structure. Its edges smoothly pass into 16 blades, which, in turn, are separated from each other by specific cutouts.
Lifestyle
These creatures spend the lion's share of their numerous time in the so-called free swimming - they soar on the surfaces of sea waters, periodically reducing their gelatinous dome and waving their extreme blades. The hairy cyanoea is a predator, and it is very active. She feeds on plankton, floating in the surface layers of water, crustaceans and medium-sized fish. In especially “hungry years”, when there is literally nothing, cyanoea can starve for a long time. But in some cases, these creatures become cannibals, devouring their own kin.
Cousteau's team members describe in their research a hunting method that uses jellyfish. The hairy cyanoea rises to the surface of the water, spreading its long tentacles in different directions. She is waiting for her victim. Researchers have noticed that in this state, cyanoea is very much like seaweed. It is worth the victim to swim closer to such “algae” and touch them, as a jellyfish immediately wraps their prey around them, releasing into it with the help of so-called stinging cells poison that can paralyze. As soon as the prey ceases to show signs of life, the jellyfish eats it. The venom of this gelatinous giant is strong enough and is produced along the entire length of the tentacles.
Breeding
This creature reproduces in a very unusual way. The male through the oral cavity throws his sperm into the female’s mouth. In fact, that's all. It is in the mouth of a female jellyfish that embryo formation occurs. When the "kids" grow up, they will go outside in the form of larvae. These larvae, in turn, will attach to the substrate, turning into a single polyp. After a few months, the grown polyp will begin to multiply, after which the larvae of already future jellyfish will appear.
