BLOODY BELLY COMB JELLIES, VIDEO
- Local Time
- Location: Monterey Bay Aquarium, California, Unitred States
- Source: Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Info: Relaxing video with elegant bloody belly comb jellies. The recording is from Monterey Bay Aquarium's "Into The Deep " exhibit which explores the undiscovered ocean
More info: The bloody-belly comb jelly is on display at the aquarium and in the US for the first time. Because it lives in the deep ocean, few people have seen it before, in person. For years, aquarists at Monterey have worked to learn to care for these jellies. They have been able to extend the captive longevity of the species by reducing oxygen concentrations to mirror its preferred habitat.
Bloody-belly comb jellies are almost invisible in the deep ocean and only appear a bright red colour in the aquarium due to there being more light. In the ocean depths where light cannot penetrate, red appears black. Scientists believe the red belly helps mask bioluminescent light from the prey it swallows.
The sparkling display on the outside of the bloody/belly comb jelly comes from light diffracting and refracting off tiny transparent, hairlike cilia. It is these cilia that beat continuously and so propel the jelly through the water.
The bloody-belly comb jelly lives at depths of 700 to 1,000 metres (2,300 to 3,300 feet). Unlike most sea jellies, the bloody-belly does not sting.
Video showing the Bloody Belly Comb Jelly: