Trending Now - Longest Animal on Earth Lacks Brain and Bones, Features Stingers
WHO:
The species discussed is Cyanea capillata, commonly known as the lion’s mane jellyfish.
Research published in the journal Fluids in 2019 and a review in Frontiers in Marine Science in 2024 are referenced.
WHAT:
The lion’s mane jellyfish holds the record for the longest animal on Earth, with tentacles that can stretch 36.6 meters (120 feet).
The jellyfish's bell measures 2.1 meters (7 feet) across.
The lion’s mane jellyfish can have over 1,000 tentacles, each lined with stinging cells known as nematocysts.
Nematocysts can fire in under 700 nanoseconds at a rate of 18 meters per second (40 miles per hour).
The lion’s mane jellyfish is composed of 94% water and has no bones, cartilage, or centralized brain.
WHERE:
The lion’s mane jellyfish is found in Arctic waters.
WHEN:
A dead jellyfish was discovered on a Massachusetts beach in 1865.
Research published in PLOS One in 2013 is mentioned.
A study published in PNAS in 2012 is referenced.
Observations of jellyfish populations have been noted since the 1970s.
WHY:
The jellyfish's long tentacles serve as a survival strategy, allowing it to catch prey in nutrient-poor Arctic waters.
Climate change, eutrophication, overfishing, coastal construction, and species translocation are proposed drivers of increased jellyfish blooms.
HOW:
The lion’s mane jellyfish relies on ocean currents for movement and positions itself above fish to catch prey with its tentacles.
The jellyfish's structure, primarily made of mesoglea, allows it to grow to large sizes without high caloric demands.
(UPDATED March 22, 2026 05:26 UTC)
The lion’s mane jellyfish, known scientifically as Cyanea capillata, holds the record for being the longest animal on Earth, with tentacles that can stretch an astonishing 36.6 meters, or 120 feet. Found in Arctic waters, this remarkable jellyfish is composed of 94% water and can have over 1,000 tentacles lined with stinging cells that can fire in under 700 nanoseconds. Researchers have noted that the jellyfish's long tentacles are a survival strategy to catch prey in nutrient-poor environments, and factors like climate change and overfishing are believed to be contributing to increased jellyfish populations.