Ten Cool Facts About Jellies                                                  

1. BC has about 75 species of jellies. Paddling in Victoria's Outer Harbour we see mostly three
    types; the moon jelly, the lion's mane jelly and the fried egg jelly.

2. Moon jellies are bowl shaped, transparent orbs that undulate in the water to move from place
    to place. They also produce bioluminescence. When agitated, the outer rim of the moon jelly will glow a green colour. This colour is produced by two proteins called aequorin and green fluorescent protein.

3. The lion's mane jelly can grow to be very large. It has a full body with many long tentacles streaming from it's body
    that help it to catch food floating in the water.

4. The fried egg jelly is also very large. It has a yellow center with white surrounding. It also has long tentacles streaming
     below the center mass.

4. Zooplankton, small fish and other jellies are the main diet of jellies. When food is scarce they can survive by absorbing
    amino acids from the ocean.

5. Jellies are made up of 96 percent water, 3 percent protein and 1 percent minerals. They are simple invertebrates
    without brains, bones or hearts.

6. Jellies have survived in our oceans for over 300 million years unchanged.

7. Jellies have the ability to regenerate a small amount of tissue such as a tentacle or two when they are damaged.

8. Jellies are subject to the motion of the ocean due to wind and tides. The moon jelly undulates it's globe shaped body for
    propulsion. It uses the sun as a compass. The by the wind sailor  jelly has a half moon "sail" that catches the wind
    which enables it to move through the water faster.

9. The sting of a jelly can be very painful. Most BC species are have a gentler sting than their tropical counterpart but the
    sting of the lion's mane jelly can leave you in pain for hours. It is best to avoid an encounter with a jelly, even in the
    Pacific Northwest.

10. Salted jellyfish is a delicacy in China but none of the species found in BC are edible. Some believe that jellies are an aid
      for weight loss and beautiful skin. New research suggests that jelly protein show promise as treatment for Alzheimer's
     and other degenerative diseases.