immortal jellyfish

immortal jellyfish, (Turritopsis dohrnii), species of tiny, translucent, jellyfish-like invertebrate animals of the phylum Cnidaria, which is renowned for its ability to evade death by cycling repeatedly between its polyp and medusa forms. The immortal jellyfish is not a true jellyfish, however, as it does not belong to class Scyphozoa. It is a hydrozoan (class Hydrozoa). Although the immortal jellyfish is native to the Mediterranean Sea, it was introduced to marine habitats worldwide during the early 21st century, likely through the ballast water of ocean-going ships.

Natural history

The immortal jellyfish is one of the smallest Cnidarians, and it is often compared to the size of the nail on a human little finger. The length and width of the bell (the translucent body of the medusa) in fully grown adults is approximately 4.5 mm (0.18 inches). An immortal jellyfish is known by its bright red manubrium, an organ that serves as the invertebrate’s digestive system, which is visible in the middle of its translucent bell and its multitude of filamentous tentacles. Adults have as many as 80–90 tentacles, whereas immature medusae have approximately 8–12 evenly spaced tentacles line the edges of its bell. There is some evidence that the number of tentacles of immortal jellyfish vary, depending on the population’s geographic location.

Immortal jellyfish are carnivores that feed on zooplankton, fish eggs, larvae, and small mollusks. Their tentacles are lined with nematocysts (stinging cells) that they use to paralyze and capture prey by injecting venom into their victims. The tentacles are also used to pull paralyzed prey toward the mouth. Immortal jellyfish can also expand their bells, creating an area of negative pressure that helps to suck in water and prey or pulls prey closer to their tentacles. Alternating water uptake and expulsion creates a thrust that allows them to move up, down, and sideways in the water column. In turn, adults may be eaten by a host of predators, including penguins, fish, sea turtles, sea anemones, and other jellyfish. While they are in the polyp stage, immortal jellyfishes can wind up as meals for sea slugs.

Discover how ordinary objects work, and expand your understanding of the familiar.

SIGN UP

" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">

Thank you for signing up!"

Back to homepage

By clicking "Sign Up", you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Like other members of the Phylum Cnidaria, immortal jellyfish have both sexual and asexual phases when they reproduce. Adult females release eggs and adult males release sperm into the water column, where fertilization occurs. Each fertilized egg develops into larval form called a planula, which is free-swimming. The planulae settle upon and attach themselves to a hard surface, usually the ocean floor; however, they may also attach themselves to floating docks or the hulls of ships. There, they develop and mature into a colony of polyps (hydroids) that reaches heights of up to 35 mm (1.38 inches). The cylindrical polyps are upright, with extensive branching. Multiple buds form on each of the polyps; the buds detach (see also budding), and they develop into adult medusae, which are also free-swimming. All the polyps and medusae that develop from a single planula are genetically identical. The medusae develop into sexually mature adults in 3–4 weeks. The timing of sexual maturity depends on the water’s temperature, which can take as long as 30 days at temperatures of 20 °C (68 °F) and as short as 18 days at 22 °C (72 °F).

Transdifferentiation

The medusa, however, is not the final stage of the immortal jellyfish’s life cycle. In most cnidarians, adult medusae die at some point after they mate. In immortal jellyfish, however, physical damage caused by old age and environmental stressors (such as those brought on by low food availability and changes in water salinity and water temperature) can prompt the medusa to undergo a change that sets it back to an earlier stage of development. During the early part of this process, the medusa’s bell contracts, the tentacles deteriorate, and it loses the ability to swim, becoming a ball of tissue that settles to the ocean floor.

During this cyst stage, the process of transdifferentiation occurs in which collections of specialized adult cells present in the medusa stage disappear leaving an undifferentiated mass of stem cells behind. Over the next 24–36 hours, the homogeneous cells of the cyst differentiate into those needed for the polyp stage—which will later develop buds that detach and form into several immature medusae again. This process can repeat indefinitely, allowing the immortal jellyfish to avoid old age—that is, if environmental conditions are favorable enough, and the individual organisms are not eaten, succumb to disease, or are killed in another way. The discovery of this process in immortal jellyfish has inspired scientists to study its potential application in medicine, specifically increasing the scientific understanding of aging in human beings.

Conservation status

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has yet to assess the immortal jellyfish. Due to its presence in marine habitats worldwide, the species does not appear to be threatened. Colonies have been established worldwide, with notable populations occurring in warmer coastal areas of North America (including California, Florida, and Panama) and along the coasts of Okinawa and other southern Japanese islands. In all of these locations, the immortal jellyfish is considered to be an invasive species; however, researchers note that the expansion of the species’ geographic range does not appear to have discernible negative economic or ecological effects.

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

SUBSCRIBE