A jellyfish is 98% water. Jellyfish also known as jellies or sea jellies or a stage of the life cycle of Medusozoa are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria.
Medusa is another word for jellyfish. Jellyfish are classified in the phylum Coelenterata, which means they have a very simple body with a large center mouth where food comes in and waste goes out.
Jellyfish have tiny stinging cells in their tentacles to stun or paralyze their prey before they eat them. Sea turtles relish the taste of jellyfish.
Jellyfish are invertebrates and don't have a backbone. All jellyfish sting, but the stings of small specimens and those with short tentacles often are not painful to humans.
Even dead jellyfish can sting. One of the smallest adult jellies is the Australian Irukandji, which is about the size of a fingernail. The lion's mane jellyfish, Cyanea capillata, were long-cited as the largest jellyfish. The rarely-encountered deep-sea jellyfish Stygiomedusa gigantea is another solid candidate for 'largest jellyfish'.
Jellyfish are also harvested for their collagen, which can be used for a variety of applications including the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Most jellyfish do not have a brain or central nervous system, but employ a loose network of nerves, located in the epidermis, which is called a 'nerve net'.
Jellyfish are the favorite meal of many seaturtles. Jellyfish are fish-eating animals that float in the sea only a few jellyfish live in fresh water. They have soft bodies and long, stinging, poisonous tentacles that they use to catch fish. Venom is sent out through stinging cells called nematocysts.
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