Nashville Zoo opens a new aquatic habitat that will house a bloom of approximately fifty moon jellyfish. Over the last eight years, the Zoo has been home to various jellies located in the Unseen New World exhibit. The new residents come from the Tennessee Aquarium and are now on display in the Unseen New World.
The otherworldly creature is named for its translucent, moonlike bell. It has short tentacles that sweep food toward the mucous layer on the edge of the bell. Moon jellies have two kinds of skin tissues: an outer exchange layer and an inner “stomach skin.” The frilly parts in the center are called oral arms, which are projections of the stomach made of gastrodermis, allowing them to digest food from a distance. Moon jellies mainly eat zooplankton and reside in coastal waters, including the Northeast Pacific, Monterey Bay, and along the California coast. Moon jellies can grow up to 24 inches in diameter and live for about a year-and-a-half.
“The new jellyfish habitat significantly enhances educational opportunities for guests fascinated by deep-sea life,” said Aquatics Area Supervisor and Biologist Daniel Brandt. “This display not only increases our keeper chat options but also offers a prime chance to highlight the importance of wildlife conservation and how the public can actively contribute to these efforts.”
Nashville Zoo’s moon jellyfish will live in a large 1,400-gallon saltwater aquarium front and center in the Unseen New World. The ecosystem’s water temperature will be 57-58 degrees and will stay cool using a special machine. The exhibit has extensive filtration systems to make sure the water remains clean and clear, as Jellyfish are sloppy eaters. In the future, the Zoo will welcome two more species, the Atlantic Sea Nettle, and White-spotted Jellyfish.
“The Nashville Zoo and Tennessee Aquarium provide their guests with incredible opportunities to marvel at the beauty of jellies and appreciate their roles in the natural world,” said Rachel Thayer, the Tennessee Aquarium’s assistant curator of fishes. “This sparks their curiosity about how individual actions can benefit all aquatic animals.”
Moon jellyfish (Aurelia Aurita) are common in our oceans, but plastic bags that drift into the sea often resemble jellyfish to creatures that rely on them for food. Each year, thousands of sea turtles and birds die from ingesting plastic that is mistaken for these delicate animals. Consumers can make a difference by reducing single-use plastics in their daily life.
For more information about the moon jellyfish and the Unseen New World, visit www.nashvillezoo.org.
