Great guess at the name H - Lion's Mane Jellyfish. Given the info from Wikipedia I'm guessing you're correct. These two were huge. I did turn one over with my foot and the underside had nothing on it other than gravel and grit but who knows it could have had a real mass of trailing arms. The photo of the jellyfish on Wiki is a clone of what I saw today too.......good identification H!
AS per Wiki - "The lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata), also known as hair jelly,[1] is the largest known species of jellyfish. Its range is confined to cold, boreal waters of the Arctic, northern Atlantic, and
northern Pacific Oceans, seldom found farther south than 42°N latitude. Similar jellyfish, which may be the same species, are known to inhabit seas near Australia and New Zealand. The largest recorded specimen found, washed up on the shore of Massachusetts Bay in 1870, had a bell (body) with a diameter of 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) and tentacles over 120 feet (37 m) long.[2] Lion's mane jellyfish have been observed below 42°N latitude for some time—specifically in the larger bays of the east coast of the United States.
While the lion's mane jellyfish generally use their stinging tentacles to prey, there is one dangerous variable that works against them. Sea anemones can capture their tentacles, which then become hopelessly tangled, torn apart and consumed.[3]
Although capable of attaining a bell diameter of 2.5 metres (8.2 ft)[citation needed], these jellyfish can vary greatly in size; those found in lower latitudes are much smaller than their far northern counterparts with bell about 50 centimetres (20 in) in diameter. The tentacles of larger specimens may trail as long as 30 metres (98 ft) or more. These extremely sticky tentacles are grouped into eight clusters, each cluster containing over 100 tentacles,[4] arranged in a series of rows.
At 120 feet (37 m) in length, the largest known specimen was longer than a blue whale and is considered one of the longest known animals in the world.[2] This title, however, may be contested: in 1864, a bootlace worm (Lineus longissimus) was found washed up on a Scottish shore that was 180 feet (55 m). But because bootlace worms can easily stretch to several times their natural length, it is possible the worm did not actually grow to be that length.
The bell is divided into eight lobes. An ostentatiously tangled arrangement of colorful arms emanates from the centre of the bell, much shorter than the silvery, thin tentacles which emanate from the bell's subumbrella.
Size also dictates coloration – larger specimens are a vivid crimson to dark purple while smaller specimens grade to a lighter orange or tan. These jellyfish are named for their showy, trailing tentacles reminiscent of a lion's mane.
Ecology[edit source]
A coldwater species, this jellyfish cannot cope with warmer waters. The jellyfish are pelagic for most of their lives but tend to settle in shallow, sheltered bays towards the end of their one-year lifespan. In the open ocean, lion's mane jellyfish act as floating oases for certain species, such as shrimp, medusafish, butterfish, harvestfish, and juvenile prowfish, providing both a reliable source of food and protection from predators[citation needed].
Predators of the lion's mane jellyfish include seabirds, larger fish such as Ocean sunfish, other jellyfish species, and sea turtles.[5] The Leatherback sea turtle feeds almost exclusively on them in large quantities during the summer season around Eastern Canada.[6] The jellyfish themselves feed mostly on zooplankton, small fish, ctenophores, and moon jellies.[7] and on and on.........."
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