A comb jelly (also called a ctenophore, pronounced “teen-oh-for”) is a marine animal that looks a bit like a jellyfish but belongs to a completely different group. Here’s a breakdown:
Basic Description - Body: Transparent, gelatinous, often oval or spherical.
- Movement: Uses rows of tiny, hair-like structures called ctenes or comb rows that beat in coordinated waves — these scatter light into rainbow colors, making them shimmer beautifully.
- Size: Ranges from a few millimeters to over 1.5 meters long, depending on the species.
Feeding - Most are carnivorous, feeding on plankton, small crustaceans, fish larvae, and sometimes other comb jellies.
- They don’t have stinging cells like true jellyfish (cnidarians). Instead, many use colloblasts, sticky cells that trap prey.
Habitat - Found in oceans worldwide, from surface waters to deep sea environments.
- Some species, like Mnemiopsis leidyi, are invasive — it spread from the U.S. Atlantic coast to the Black Sea and devastated local fisheries.
Fun Facts - Comb jellies are among the oldest animal lineages on Earth — possibly even older than sponges.
- They have a simple nervous system but complex behaviors (like active hunting and bioluminescence).
- Many species glow in the dark, producing blue or green light.
|
