Belize Barrier Reef's Upside Down Jellyfish!!

The Upside Down Jellyfish

As suggested by it's name, the Upside Down Jellyfish is inverted compared to the normal/regular  jellyfish. It has been known to have a yellowish-brown with white spots in color.  The  disc shaped portion is at the bottom with  cluster oriented in an upright position .  The entire animal has a translucent appearance. They grow to a size of approximately 4-5 inches.

This jellyfish lives in shallow sea areas such as flats, lagoons and back reef areas.  They are found on the bottom, sitting in the sand with the cluster portion facing upward.  The disc shaped portion acts as a suction at the bottom holding it in place. At first they are free swimming, until they get to about 1 inch in size, they settle on the bottom of the sea.

The upside down jellyfish does not have one centered mouth, instead they have  openings along mouth arms that create little canals. Jellyfish are carnivorous, dining mostly on a variety of  zoo plankton. They gather their small prey using their arms as it floats along, by stinging them with a toxic substance. Part of their food also comes from algae that grow in their arm clusters nourished through sunlight . This algae not only provides food, it also provides oxygen to the jellyfish.
Jellyfish can be male or female, they reproduce sexually.  Reproductive organs are in the lining of the gut. The Male releases sperm through it's mouth, the sperm then swims into the mouth of the female to fertilize her eggs.  The eggs develop inside the female's  brood pouches located on it's arm. Larvae emerge that form polyps, which divide and become young jellyfish.  More about Belize,  Videos about Belize,  Book a tour in Belize.

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