photos by andyclark from the vancouver aquarium. the tank contains around 2,000 spotted jellyfish from 15 different species. jellyfish are the oldest multi organ animals in the world, having been around for over 500 million years
Recently they spotted one carrying an egg-yolk jelly and made a discovery about this elusive species: It looked as though Haliphron had not only made a meal of the jelly, but was hanging onto it, perhaps for defense or for help in catching prey!
The bloodybelly comb jelly is nearly invisible in the deep sea, where red animals appear black and blend into the dark background. Scientists think the jelly’s blood-red belly helps mask bioluminescent light from prey it swallows—so it won’t become a snack for another deep-sea predator!
