Jellyfish provide food and habitat to countless organisms in marine ecosystems. Juvenile fish and oysters seek protection from predators among their stinging tentacles. Many young crabs hitchhike on the top of jellyfish so they don’t have to swim.
Jellyfish feed on fish, shrimp, crabs and tiny plants in floating nurseries on the open seas. The jellyfish itself provides a tasty meal for sunfish, spadefish and leatherback turtles. They feed almost exclusively on these gelatinous animals.
Jellyfish play an important role in the oceanic food chain and the web of life. Much- maligned, these simple invertebrates deserve our respect.
- Collections: Medusae