Moon Jellyfish
When a person goes to the Zoo most people think of Lions, Tigers, Giraffes, Elephants, Monkeys and such. I decided back in Sept. I would check out a few different species in the Pavilions. I found it challenging due to the lighting in these buildings, and of course the crowds of onlookers, but thought I would give it a try.
I could spend hours at the zoo in awe of all the amazing animals that I see, and want to see. I find it so fascinating. I think I could spend weeks there and not have enough time to spend with all my animal friends. I love animals and so does the One who Created them all. What an imagination our God and Creator has to make such a vast diversity of life on this planet called earth, and we humans haven’t discovered it all yet and probably never will. Scientists are no match for God The Creator of all life, including them. :)
These pictures were taken at the Toronto Zoo which has over 5000 different animal species to see. At some point I will post some of my other zoo pictures.
I will leave information on the Moon Jellyfish at the end of this post for anyone who may be interested in reading it and finding out some fascinating information on this animal. There are plenty of good sites on the internet as well.
I haven’t been out with my camera in quite awhile due to life circumstances. It has been on the shelf for now, but when the time is right I will be back out capturing the beauty that surrounds me each and every day. For now I am just thankful for eyes to see the things around me day by day. I am thankful for many things in my life. Life is precious. I hope to find you all well. Thank you for those of you who remember my mom in your prayers as she suffers from Chronic Kidney Disease. Life is challenging and an uphill battle for her. She is very courageous, and a woman of Faith. I am a much better person because of my mom. She has always been there for me, and I for her.
Hope you all take care and have a wonderful week whatever you do or don’t do.
Until next time and I hope to visit you all soon.
xx’s Dianne :)
Moon jellyfish
Location at the Toronto Zoo: Australasia
Region:
Australasia
Scientific Name:
Aurelia aurita
Description
: Jellyfish are ancient creatures. Fossils have been found in rocks that are 650 million years old. Today there are more than 2000 species. Jellyfish are 95% water, 3% protein, and 1% mineral. There are four life stages from birth to adult. There is no backbone, brain, or heart. Adults drift with the currents, but can swim horizontally by pulsations of the bell to keep close to the surface. A primitive nerve net controls muscle contractions as it swims. The adult form is a transparent bell shape that ranges between 5 and 40 cm wide. Underneath is a central mouth surrounded by four oral arms that carry the stinging tentacles. From above, four crescent shaped gonads surround the mouth. On the rim of the bell are eight sets of eye spots sensitive to light and eight statocysts that help orient jellyfish when swimming. Jellyfish are primitive organisms with an outer layer (ectoderm) that covers the external surface and an inner layer (endoderm) that lines the gut. Between these is a jelly layer or mesoglea. The simple digestive cavity acts as a gullet, stomach, and intestine. There is one opening between the oral arms that acts as a mouth, anus, and entrance for sperm (in females).
Distribution
: Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans.
Habitat
: Shallow coastal waters as well as brackish waters with a salt content as low as 0.6 %. Jellyfish can survive in water from 6 ˚C to 31 ˚C. The optimum temperature is 9 ˚C to 19 ˚C.
Food
: Jellyfish are carnivorous plankton eaters. They feed on fish eggs and larval fish and other plankton, such as mollusks, crustaceans, and copepods etc. Food is collected on the mucus surface of the jellyfish and by the tentacles. Flagellar action of the tentacles passes the food items to the margin of the bell and then up into the mouth and stomach.
Reproduction and Development
: Jellyfish are either male or female. Sexual reproduction begins when a male medusa releases sperm through its mouth. The sperm swim into the mouth of a nearby female where fertilization occurs. Further development into free swimming planula (larval stage) occurs in brood pouches along the oral arms. The planula settle on the ocean floor and attach to the bottom forming the polyp. Polyps bud asexually to produce free swimming larvae known as ephyra, which grow into the adult medusa.
Adaptations
: The transparent body makes a jellyfish less visible to predators. Oral arms have tentacles that carry nematocysts (stinging cells) that stun prey or deter predators. About 70 species are harmful to humans. The medusa can shrink in size when food is scarce and grow when it is abundant. Radial symmetry permits finding food in any direction.
Threats to Survival
: Predators include sea turtles, ocean sunfish, spade fish, tuna, swordfish, and other large fish. Humans, particularly in some Asian countries, capture and eat dried non-venomous jellyfish.
Status
: IUCN: Not Evaluated; CITES: Not Listed.
Zoo Diet
: Cyclopeeze, and live brine shrimp.
. It has been a careful tip toe venture to get back to walking again since I’ve had bone spur issues and Mom had her terrible fall on the ice last year so this makes me a bit nervous to say the least but I’ve carefully pushed on…it’s felt really good though the sights right now are all that pretty…just look at the grass that showing now…yuck
! Our backdoor drain is likely to have plenty of work as the melt off continues…it makes me wonder how busy it will be come spring
. Right now there’s every form of moisture you could ever want, snow, ice, water
. This is the kind of ice you want to avoid when you’re out and about
. I know that it’s warming up some when you can actually walk out in the yard and glimpse the lava rocks along the border of the house
. Wet ‘n dry seems to be the theme today
. My favorite stones to stand on while taking pictures over the fence are showing themselves again
. You know a simple thing for me that I use to brighten my day is when things look gloomy…just look up a bit…sometimes the view is a whole lot better
. If not at least it’s a different perspective and I value that
. Even if it’s issues I have with people where there are real differences about things…look up, they’re still people after all and not monsters
. Remember as things heat up as they inevitably will this being an election year…we are Americans before we’re members of a political party. If you are not an American it matters not…we still are under the same sun in spite of our differences. Looking out over the vast, endless view from our backyard I realize that we’re all just a speck in all of time
.
(like my webcam pic?…ugh.) Before going too far I thought I’d take my standard picture of our little niche right outside our back door
. I call that snow that forms on the little table a “snow cake” and here it’s more like a pancake but wait until you see the next one of this table I have. The steps up just had a light dusting of snow at this point
. Old Man Winter’s chair had only been sat in by Jack Frost so far
. The deck steps were beginning to be treacherous
. I have a stone that I like to stand on to take pictures beyond the fence…it was looking more like a white cap on the lake then a rock now
. I don’t think that we’ll be needing the air conditioner for a while…what do you think
? Once again a look at some of my favorite scenery
. I think that before it’s all over I’ll miss so much the song of Western Meadowlarks that usually resonate from this area. Well, onward and upward! I started to walk with the wind beginning to really pick up. The temperatures were dropping fast and the drifting was starting but I thought I’d keep going since I’d come pretty far already
. For once the golf course I pass by is devoid of golfers that are always there
. You can tell you’re really about to get it when the view is limited by a white haze heading your way
. I was very pleasantly surprised to run across a small group of antelope who were feeding as though they knew all too well what was coming
. Their feeding frenzy was little abated by my approach
. I was astounded at how close they were letting me come to them
but all good things come to and end and this was no exception as they finally began to move on
. I was really beginning to feel the wind now and there was a long and wintery road ahead
. Plodding along `t this point I paused to see the beauty of the new frosted covering on the evergreens and marveled at the sight
. Near the half way point of my route I see a lamp post and it made me think of the lamp post in “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”
. It’s amazing how even in the beginning of this storm the sun still tries to break through with its heatless glare
. The lower to the ground pine bushes were getting a real dusting of snow at this point
. Now I was almost home and after kicking through snow drifts and having the wind rip me with temperatures below zero I was ready to be home…still, this is a beautiful scene…cold or not
. 
. This is no longer a dusting of snow folks
! It’s snow and cold like this that shows me the wisdom of hybernation
! The deck is well covered and likely will get more so before this thing is all over
. I’m glad we have a new fangled material fence rather than a wood one or I expect it would be pretty weathered come spring
. The barbecue may have to be put on hold for a day or two
. Jack Frost is now leaving the chair to Old Man Winter don’t you think
? The winter pancake on the table is now a full blown winter wedding cake
! The prairie is no longer doubting what season it is
and I have to say…the sun may be trying to shine
but I well remember the endless sapphire sky before this whole thing started too.