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There’s A Jellyfish In The Ocean That Looks Just Like A Fried Egg

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clock-iconPUBLISHEDMarch 24, 2023
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There’s A Jellyfish In The Ocean That Looks Just Like A Fried Egg

Here be fried eggs.

Rachael Funnell headshot

Rachael Funnell

Rachael Funnell headshot

Rachael Funnell

Senior Science Writer

Rachael has a degree in Zoology from the University of Southampton, and specializes in animal behavior, evolution, palaeontology, and the environment.

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Senior Science Writer

Rachael has a degree in Zoology from the University of Southampton, and specializes in animal behavior, evolution, palaeontology, and the environment.View full profile

Rachael has a degree in Zoology from the University of Southampton, and specializes in animal behavior, evolution, palaeontology, and the environment.

View full profile
A fried egg jellyfish, also known as an egg-yolk jelly, in the ocean

Looks a little underdone to me. Image credit: Sspopov/Shutterstock.com

This article first appeared in Issue 6 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS. 

The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

A lot of money has gone into blasting off to space of late, but if your astronomical interest piques at the prospect of alien life, you needn’t look any further than Earth’s oceans for some wacky species. Case in point: the fried egg jellyfish, Cotylorhiza tuberculata. 

A fried egg jellyfish, also known as an egg-yolk jelly, in the ocean
Perfectly cooked. Image credit: Sev82/Shutterstock.com

Also known as egg-yolk jellies, for obvious reasons, their rounded eggy bells can pulse for active swimming, though they spend most of their time motionless. Animals like crabs like to hitch a ride on these jellies, safely cruising on the non-stinging end.

Found in the western Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific Oceans, they do have stingers but they have a very mild effect on humans.

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ORIGINALLY PUBLISHEDMarch 24, 2023

Written by Rachael Funnell

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