used with permission by http://www.dejongmarinelife.nl/inverts/octopods-jellyfish/cassiopea-xamachana/1

 

A world turned upside down...

      ...at least for Cassiopea xamachana it is. This magnificent creature is more commonly known as the mangrove or upside-down jellyfish. The name, Mangrove jellyfish, comes from the type of habitat that they dwell in. The common name of upside-down jellyfish is associated with the positioning of their body in comparison with the conventional jellyfish. Other jellyfish are usually seen drifting through the water with their tentacles propelling them, and their bell facing upwards.   

     Even though they are called jellyfish, they are not true fish. This is because jellyfish are not vertabrates. According to taxonomy it may be considered scientifically inaccurate to call any of them jellyfish; the term jelly would more precise.

     Some other qualities that separate C. xamachana from other jellyfish is that they dwell on the bottom of the sea floor, and because of that they look like a sea flower among all of the other marine organisms. They are most likely to be found on the Caribbean sea floor.

     This webpage was made by Max Soda and Laura Louks of the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse. The webpage project is an assignment of the Orgainismal Biology 203 course.


     To learn about other organisms, check out MultipleOrganisms.net.