Upside-down Jellyfishサカサクラゲ

Cassiopea ornataNE— Not Evaluated

The upside-down jellyfish rests bell-down on shallow seafloors in warm coastal waters worldwide, including mangroves, mudflats, and turtle grass flats. It gets roughly 90% of its nutrition from photosynthetic zooxanthellae living in its tissue, supplementing this with plankton captured by its stinging cells. Despite lacking a brain, it has been shown to enter sleep-like states of quiescence; its conservation status has not been formally evaluated by the IUCN.

Upside-down Jellyfish (reference photo)
Photo: opencage / CC BY-SA 2.5 / Source / cropped

Species Data

Classification
Rhizostomeae / Cassiopeidae Source
Distribution
Found in warm shallow coastal waters worldwide, including mangrove swamps, mudflats, canals, and turtle grass flats. Source

Did You Know?

  • It rests upside-down on the seafloor, bell-down, so that its symbiotic algae stay exposed to sunlight—the behavior that gives it its common name. Source
  • Despite lacking a brain, it shows sleep-like states—reduced responsiveness and homeostatic regulation—according to a 2017 study. Source

Where to See This Species

1 facilities · 0 individuals

Osaka Aquarium KaiyukanOsakaOpened in 1990

海遊館のWikipedia記事に飼育種として記載 Source

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Conservation Story

Conservation Status

IUCNの評価はNEです。浅海の光環境と水質が共生関係に影響します。

Habitat

熱帯・亜熱帯の浅い湾、ラグーン、マングローブ域。

Threats

  • 沿岸開発
  • 水質悪化
  • 海水温の変化

Conservation & Breeding Efforts

  • 浅海生態系の保全
  • 共生関係の普及教育

Sources

en.wikipedia.org

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FAQ

Why does it rest upside-down?
It settles bell-down on the seafloor so the photosynthetic algae in its tissue stay exposed to sunlight from above. Source
Can it sting people?
Yes—its mucus and nematocysts can cause mild pain, rashes, and swelling, even without direct contact with its bell. Source

Source: ja.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org