Have you ever been to an aquarium where large swarms of jellyfish swim around each other in a beautifully lit tank? Have you ever wondered how those drifting tentacles managed to stay untangled, when humans can’t even manage to put a set of headphones in our pocket without ending up with a series of mind-bending knots? Have you ever wondered what would happen if jellyfish did get their tentacles in a twist?
Well, thanks to Monterey Bay Aquarium’s jellyfish exhibit, I can tell you the answer to that last question: hilarity ensues. These are lion’s mane jellyfish. They have no brain or central nervous system, which is fortunate because otherwise, they would probably die of embarrassment.
I shot these photos/videos myself yesterday. The aquarium is incredible. More photos to come later today, and then tomorrow, some brand new science for you.
October 10th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
I desperately needed this post on this otherwise dull day over the blogosphere. Thanks. No worthy science news either.
October 10th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Hah. Not that I think they can feel embarassment (wouldn’t that be cool – social emotions in jellyfish….). Definitely worth a share.
October 10th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Hey! You got your bell in my tentacles!
You got your tentacles in my bell!
~Rhaco
October 10th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Apparently jellyfish cannot blush…. because certainly this would have done it.
October 11th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Maybe they were just holding hands, err, tentacles.
October 11th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
How did it end? Did they eventually untangle, or did one lose the tug-of-war (and some tentacles along with it)?
October 11th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Hahaha, they appear to be confused. Even though they are probably not…
I was doing a marine secci on a boat last summer near the Puget Sound when the Lion’s Mane jellyfish (and many others) were all washing in from the Pacific. The white secci disc thrown into the water on a rope looks like a Moon jellyfish from above, a nice snack for Lion’s Mane… so one immediately propelled out from under the boat and attacked the secci as it sank. We got into a tug of war and I was yelling curses at it, I mean what else are you going to do? Eventually the jellyfish decided it wasn’t edible and drifted on,and left behind a mess of eye-sting inducing tentacles all over the rope :/
October 11th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
@–E It didn’t end. They were well and truly tangled in a way that strongly suggested that they were going to be stuck like that until one or both of them died.
October 13th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
They often get tangled, but usually separate, as they are pretty slippery. Every now and then we use a glass rod to reach in and “untie the knot.”