Also called the saucer jelly, the alien-looking moon jelly is named for its translucent moonlike circular bell.
Moon jelly polyps develop in a structure much like stacked plates, then each plate eventually develops into an adult moon jelly.
First Jellies
July 1985
Ethereal-looking
moon jellies
(
Aurelia sp.) are the first jellies exhibited in the Aquarium. While native to Monterey Bay, moon jellies were not present in July, so the Aquarium turned to Japan's Ueno Zoological Gardens for specimens to raise its own population of the jellyfish. A visitor favorite, these jellies rank among the most beautiful creatures in the Aquarium.
A Delicate Issue
Displaying moon jellies requires a gentle touch, as they are highly sensitive to abrasion. They need a gentle, even current so that they will not be damaged. The larvae from the adults attach themselves to the substrate and metamorphose into polyps that develop in a structure that looks like stacked plates. Each "plate" eventually develops into an adult moon jelly. Despite their vulnerability through all steps of development, moon jellies in the Aquarium's exhibit have multiplied exponentially.
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