What are jellyfish?
Everyone has heard of jellyfish, but what are they really? Since they aren’t truly a type of fish, in the JelliesZone we’ll usually refer to them as “jellies.” We’re not talking about the kind you eat with your peanut butter! Not all gelatinous zooplankton are true jellyfish, however. Only those classified in the Phylum Cnidaria, the group that also includes corals, anemones and sea pens, are really types of jellyfish. Members of the Cnidaria are blessed with microscopic structures known as nematocysts, which are responsible for the notorious reputation of this group. These are the handy units that inject toxins into prey, and also may sting if you carelessly pick one up that’s washed up on the beach. The primary nematocyst action is located on the long, thin tentacles found on most cnidarian jellies. Species vary in the number of tentacles, from a couple to several hundred. Most jellies use the tentacles to capture zooplankton prey. Following capture, the prey are transferred to the m
