''Cassiopea ornata'' are one of many

Cnidaria Cnidaria () is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals found both in freshwater and marine environments, predominantly the latter. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that ...

n species called the upside-down

jellyfish Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrell ...

. This

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or w ...

jellyfish primarily lives in

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

waters, off the coast of Australia in shallow

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...

s and around

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

trees. The name "upside-down jellyfish" comes from the fact that it appears to be upside-down in its natural state—resting on its bell. Its bell is a golden/brown color and the tentacles vary with different shades of yellow. While the sighting of this particular species is rare, it is usually mistaken for vegetation like the other species in genus ''

Cassiopea ''Cassiopea'' (upside-down jellyfish) is a genus of true jellyfish and the only members of the family Cassiopeidae. They are found in warmer coastal regions around the world, including shallow mangrove swamps, mudflats, canals, and turtle gra ...

''.

Reproduction

''Cassiopea ornata'' are a part of the class, Scyphozoa, "the true jelly-fish." Members of this class are

gonochoric In biology, gonochorism is a sexual system where there are only two sexes and each individual organism is either male or female. The term gonochorism is usually applied in animal species, the vast majority of which are gonochoric. Gonochorism c ...

. As a cnidarian, the cassiopea ornata jellyfish can reproduce both sexually and asexually. When in a medusa form, it will reproduce sexually. The male will produce sperm and release them into the water, while the female produces eggs and keeps them in order to obtain the males sperm and fertilize the eggs. When the jellyfish is in a polyp form, it will reproduce asexually by means of budding.

Feeding

''Cassiopea ornata'' are photosynthetic due to a symbiotic relationship with the

zooxanthellae Zooxanthellae is a colloquial term for single-celled dinoflagellates that are able to live in symbiosis with diverse marine invertebrates including demosponges, corals, jellyfish, and nudibranchs. Most known zooxanthellae are in the genus ''S ...

that live below their tentacles. These algae feed on the sun and produce nutrients. The remaining nutrients become food for the jellyfish. These jellyfish are able to thrive because the mutualistic relationship with the algae and rarely have to hunt.

Geography

''Cassiopea ornata'' are pelagic and reside in tropical, shallow waters. The jellyfish have been observed in various locations, including off the coast of Australia, Guam, Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.

Reproduction

Feeding

Geography

References

Further reading