Gallery 8 - Scottish Birds and other Animals Back to all galleries               Next gallery Gallery Notes Lion's Mane Jellyfish - The Facts Lion's mane jellyfish, or Cyanea capillata, made a sensational appearance in literature, most notably in Sherlock Holmes's 'The Adventure of the Lion's Mane.' Lion's Mane jellyfish are very interesting marine creatures. They live in the harshest weather conditions and are found in the freezing cold waters of the Arctic, northern Atlantic and Northern Pacific Oceans during the coldest months of the year. They rarely descend below 42 degrees latitude and are seldom found in the southern hemisphere at all. The Lion's Mane jellyfish can attain enormous size. In fact, the Lion's Mane jellyfish is the largest species of jellyfish in the world; one specimen, found in Massachusetts Bay in 1870, was over 7 feet in diameter and its tentacles were longer than 120 feet in length. However, the bell of the Artic Lion's Mane is known to be able to grow up to 8 feet in diameter, and their tentacles can acquire the length of 150 feet. Lion's Mane jellyfish are highly variable in size with the largest found in the northernmost parts of the Arctic ocean and the size diminishes as you travel further south. Similarly, the length of the tentacles also decreases as the size itself begins to diminish. The color is also dependent on its size with the largest specimens being dark crimson in color and as their size reduces, the color becomes lighter until it is light orange or tan. The bell of the Lion's Mane jellyfish is divided into eight lobes, each lobe having a cluster of 60 to 130 tentacles at the margin of its gelatinous body. They also have a number of oral arms near the mouth to facilitate transporting the food to its mouth. Like most other species of jellyfish, the Lion's Mane is carnivorous and feeds on zooplankton, small fish, and ctenophores. It is also cannibalistic and feeds on other jellyfish like moon jellies. The predators of the Lion's Mane jellyfish include seabirds, larger fish, other jellyfish species and sea turtles. Prices and Further Information