A
New Competition for Jellyfish
The Alfred Goldsborough Mayer
Award – Plaque & Cash $500
We do not know much scientifically about most species of jellyfish,
except for a few species. There are some 92 described species of
Rhizostome medusae world-wide. Like Mastigias and the
upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea, jellyfish with a heavy oral mass
and without stinging tentacles along the margin of the bell. There are
71 described species of Semaeostomid jellyfish, like the moon jelly,
with stinging tentacles around the bell margin, but many of the
tentaculate medusae are found only in Polar Regions or the deep sea. A
third Order of Scyphomedusae is the coronate medusae, most of which are
deep-sea species and are often deep red in color. There
are two species of coronate jellyfish, called thimble-jellies that occur
in tropical waters. (What’s the
other specie? Only mentioned 1)
Underwater photographers go to strange places and take lovely pictures
of beautiful organisms. They photograph animals that are unknown to
science. Celebrate the Sea Festival 2008 and the World Festival of
Underwater Pictures Antibes has now introduced
The Alfred Goldsborough Mayer Award - Cash $500 for jellyfish in
the photographic competition category. This award is initiated and
sponsored by Dr William Hamner of UCLA and OceanNEnvironment
Australia. We hope that this competition will stimulate
photographers to seek out and record images and information on jellyfish
that are less
known to the scientific community.
For entry form:
www.CelebratetheSea.com
Tips on shooting Jellyfish
Some of the most common species of jellyfish include the Moon jelly,
Aurelia, the Lion’s mane jellyfish, Cyanea, and the golden
jellyfish, Mastigias, found in in Palau. Scyphomedusae are seldom
found near coral reefs, but are variously abundant in embayment and/or
open water. Like desert flowers,
most Scyphomedusae exhibit an annual life cycle. Young medusae first
appear in late winter. They grow larger through summer until they are
reproductively mature, spawning in late summer or early fall. After
spawning the adults sink to the
seabed and die. The fertilized eggs
transform into polyps resembling tiny sea anemones which over-winter
attach
themselves
to underwater surfaces. In spring the polyps
transform once again into small medusae. Consequently, the best time to
photograph mature scyphomedusae is in summer or fall.
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inappropriate to call this planet 'Earth', when it is clearly 'Ocean'.
Arthur C. Clark