The Lion's Mane jellyfish has the distinction of being the largest jellyfish known to man. The largest specimen on record had a bell shaped body with a diameter of 7 feet 6 inches and its tentacles were 120 feet long. It was definitely longer than a blue whale and is considered to be the longest animal known to the world.

The Lion's mane jellyfish prefers the cold waters of the North Atlantic, Arctic and North Pacific oceans but similar jellyfish to the Lion's Mange can be found just outside the waters of New Zealand and Australia. It is curious in that they are rarely found south of 42 degrees north latitude.

The Lion's Mane jellyfish ranges in size. Although large Lion's Mane with 8 foot bells are found in the Northern waters, relatively smaller ones can be found in the Southern water. The tentacles of the Lion's Mane are sticky, grouped in large clusters of 8, each large cluster containing more then 100 tentacle strands arranged in a series of rows. The giant size of the Lion's mane may scare you however; it is not too dangerous. Although stings can cause redness and temporary pain, they are not fatal.

At the center of the Lion's Mane Jellyfish is it's bell shaped body. Each Lion's Mane has eight divisions, so it kindof looks like an 8 pointed star. A complex and beautiful arrangement of colourful arms protrude from the bell's center, much shorter then the thinner tentacles which come from the bell's subumbrella. The larger the specimen, the difference in colour as size makes all the difference. Smaller Lion's Manes can be orange or tan with the larger ones ranging from bright crimson to dark purple.

The Lion Mane survives mostly on a diet of moon jellies, small fish, zoo plankton and ctenophores. Despite the large size, they still have predators which include sea turtles, sea birds, larger fish and other jellyfish. The Lion's mane is a coldwater species which can not tolerate warmer waters. They live for about one year and prefer shallow, sheltered bays at the end of their days. An interesting fact about the Lion's Mane is that a small ecosystem forms around them. Other marine life such as Shrimps, butter fish, harvest fish and other species treat it as a giant floating oasis, surviving from the shelter and benefits the Lion's Mane provides.

Interested in Jellyfish? Find out more about different jellyfish species at JellyfishFacts.Net and don't miss our collection of Jellyfish Pictures.