It's a Jelly-Eat-Jelly World

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Merry

Contributor
Messages
335
Reaction score
864
Location
Torrance, California
# of dives
1000 - 2499
Ho-hum. Another descent along the anchor line and there’s nothing in the water except these darn sea gooseberries. I’m not asking for much – a large comb jelly, perhaps a fried egg jelly, anything larger than a quarter. At only 5/8”, the abundant and ever-so-common sea gooseberry, Pleurobrachia bachei, doesn’t usually promise thrills and chills. But this day is different.

Propelled by 8 ciliated comb rows, sea gooseberries troll the water dragging 2 retractable tentacles. When fully extended, fine side-branches on the tentacles have specialized cells which adhere to fish larvae, copepods, eggs, and small crustaceans. My camera occasionally captures some of the larger copepods, which are barely visible to the naked eye.








The interior of the little gooseberry is pretty straightforward. Right next to the aboral anus (they have multiple anuses) is the balancing organ, or statocyst. Even jellies need to know which way is up.





A pharynx fairly stuffed with prey.





Facing the prospect of nothing else to photograph, I continue snapping away at any Pleurobrachia that will cooperate. A spinning marble catches my eye. Wait, I’ve never seen a gooseberry do anything other than pulse along mostly upright. This one makes a crack-the-whip type of maneuver and plops a tentacle right on top of its mouth. Removing prey from the sticky tentacles must be an interesting trick.





Here comes a plucky gooseberry that looks like it bit off more than it can chew. Oh boy, it snared a Beroe comb jelly.





Wait a minute, who’s eating whom? Beroe species are famous for biting into or engulfing prey as large as they are. This young Beroe is devouring the sea gooseberry one mouthful at a time. Note the bites already inflicted.










What a treat to witness the food chain in action!
 
OMG -- that's incredible. Just incredible -- not only to get so many sharp and detailed photos of something the size of the end of my thumb, but to recognize what the behavior was, and to record and share it.

Honestly, there are a few SB members whose threads I diligently watch for, and always open, and you and Max are on that list. Thank you so much for sharing, over and over again, the amazing records you make of the life in Southern California waters.
 
Amazing work, thanks for posting!
 
Honestly, there are a few SB members whose threads I diligently watch for, and always open, and you and Max are on that list. Thank you so much for sharing, over and over again, the amazing records you make of the life in Southern California waters.
Agreed!

Insane shots Merry! Great behavioral explanation as well! So when does your publication come out? :D
 
In the words of Henry Morgan... "very interesting!"
 
Merry, some of the photos y'all post are amazing. Love the details and info you add!


OMG -- that's incredible. Just incredible -- not only to get so many sharp and detailed photos of something the size of the end of my thumb, but to recognize what the behavior was, and to record and share it.

Honestly, there are a few SB members whose threads I diligently watch for, and always open, and you and Max are on that list. Thank you so much for sharing, over and over again, the amazing records you make of the life in Southern California waters.

Couldn't say it any better.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom