A lion's mane jellyfish drifts in the Baltic Sea near Kiel.

Lion's Mane Jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) — A lion's mane jellyfish drifts in the Baltic Sea near Kiel.

Creator: [Wusel007](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Wusel007), [Wikimedia Commons file](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cyanea_Capillata_Baltic_Sea.JPG), CC BY-SA 3.0; also GNU FDL version 1.2 or any later version, with no invariant sections, front-cover texts, or back-cover texts. Licences: [CC BY-SA 3.0 deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en), [GNU FDL 1.2 or later](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html).

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0

View image source

Species record

Lion's Mane Jellyfish

Cyanea capillata

Explore the Lion's Mane Jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

The lion's mane jellyfish is a large cold-water jellyfish found in the Atlantic and Pacific, including the North Sea and Baltic. Its drifting medusa phase hunts in the water column using stinging tentacles, while its polyp stage lives attached to the seabed.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Cnidarians
  3. Class: True jellyfish
  4. Order: Semaeostomeae
  5. Family: Cyaneidae
  6. Genus: Cyanea

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
pelagic cold and temperate waters, benthic surfaces during the polyp stage
Selected regions
Asia, Europe, North America

Conservation status

Conservation status not recorded.

Did you know?

  • In rare cases, a lion’s mane jellyfish can have tentacles longer than 30 metres.
A lion's mane jellyfish trails long, fine tentacles below its bell.

Lion's Mane Jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) — A lion's mane jellyfish trails long, fine tentacles below its bell.

Creator: Photo: [Arnstein Rønning](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Eaglestein), [Wikimedia Commons file](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cyanea_capillata_no.JPG), CC BY 3.0. Licence: [CC BY 3.0 deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en).

Licence: CC BY 3.0

View image source

Sources and attribution