Florida Jellyfish Types

Portuguese man of war aren t jellyfish but a colony of small organisms called siphonophorae.

Florida jellyfish types. A list of popular types of jellyfish with pictures. They are comprised of 95 water possessing no respiratory excretory or circulatory systems. Jellyfish are 95 percent water and most are harmless but some can cause mild rashes to extreme allergic reactions. Cocoa beach florida a venomous and potentially deadly species of jellyfish are in the water and washing up onshore in cocoa beach florida on sunday august 30 2020.

Jellyfish are mysterious creatures of the oceans the alien like look fascinates and evokes curiosity in everyone. Mother nature is a force to be reckoned with but when it comes to the ocean humans are the ones who play in her domain. Here we shed some light on different jellyfish types and their characteristics which make them unique among all marine creatures on earth. He lives with fish but the jellyfish isn t a fish at all.

The portuguese man of war can be identified from other types of jellyfish in florida by its translucent blue pink green or purple gas filled air sac which helps the sea creature travel long distances across the ocean by acting as a wind driven sail. The moon jellyfish aurelia aurita are commonly seen in the florida keys and live in temperate coastal waters around the globe. There are many different types of jellyfish in florida waters including some exotic invasive species with an unpredictable distribution. Florida and by extension floridians are no strangers to threats in their coastal waters.

The by the wind sailor velella velella is another jellyfish found on florida beaches that is not a true jellyfish but a colonial species like the portuguese man o war. I am not a jellyfish identification expert and i m sure you aren t either so i recommend that you avoid touching jellyfish. The most recent threat for beachgoers is a species of marine life that not many think of outside of nature shows and exotic locations. In fact the by the wind sailor operates in exactly the same way the man o war does using currents tides and wind to traverse the open sea with tentacles trailing.

This species of box jellyfish are named chiropsalmus quadrumanus that has been previously collected by florida fish and wildlife staff offshore of brevard county florida. The most common species in florida are man o war box jellyfish mauve. Florida has several different species of jellyfish.