Jelly

This month we feature a photo by Kenton Parker, the Education Coordinator at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve.

This delicate little jewel of a jelly (Cladonema radiatum) was found in Whistlestop Lagoon on the Reserve. It is only about 1/2 inch in diameter but when viewed through a microscope its beauty can be appreciated. It uses its tiny suction tube feet to anchor itself to a surface and then castes a net of tentacles armed with stinging cells that can capture its prey: even smaller animals found in the water of the Slough. When it needs to escape from a predator, or simply move to a better feeding spot, it retracts its tentacles and scoots through the water by rapidly contracting the transparent bell that can be seen surrounding its opaque, tubular stomach.

Equipment used -The photo was taken with a Ken-A-Vision PupilCAM mounted on a Swift Zoom Stereo Microscope (model # M29TZ-SM90HF) at approximately 20X. This digital system is located in the new teaching lab at the Reserve and is available for use by teachers and students who participate in the Reserve’s education program.