Unlike other jellyfish that often emit strong venom, the fried egg jellyfish is almost harmless to humans and has a beautiful appearance, like an egg floating on the sea surface.
Fried Egg Jellyfish has the scientific name Cotylorhiza Tuberculata. This species can be easily identified by its yellow center, resembling chicken egg yolk, surrounded by milky white tissue. Seen from above, they look like eggs being fried in a pan of ocean oil.
They are often found in warmer waters, especially in the Mediterranean or sunlit seas like the Aegean or Adriatic.
The main food of this jellyfish is plankton, small jellyfish.
Fried egg jellyfish have weak venom and are considered “friendly” jellyfish because they allow many symbiotic organisms on their bodies. The sting of this jellyfish only causes mild itching and does not affect human life.
An adult fried egg jellyfish can reach a size of 40 cm, but is commonly less than 20 cm. They do not have a respiratory system, circulatory system and excretory system.
This jellyfish is lazy, mainly moves with the water current and usually moves faster during the day and swims fastest during the tide.
According to research by scientists, the lifespan of a fried egg jellyfish is only about 9 months. They begin to grow in the summer and end their lives in the early winter.
Fried egg jellyfish reproduce asexually. Jellyfish larvae attach tightly to hard surfaces in the ocean and grow into small, interconnected clusters. After a while, the tiny jellyfish leave the cluster and float away with the water.
Currently, in degraded marine areas, jellyfish populations (including fried egg jellyfish) are increasing, because the jellyfish’s ability to adapt to adverse factors also increases with the degraded environment. However, the larger the jellyfish population, the greater the negative impact on ecosystem services.
