Pacific Sea Nettle at Toronto Aquarium cover photo - 237820088

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Cover photo description:
Deep sea diving is not necessary to capture marine life in a photograph when you have the benefit of a first-class facility such as this one at Ripley`s Aquarium of Canada, located a stone`s throw from the tall CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario. Seen here is a Pacific sea nettle which is typically found on the Eastern Pacific from Canada down to Baja California in Mexico. Known scientifically as chrysaora fuscescens or as the West Coast sea nettle it takes its name from chrysaore, which means `he who has a golden armament, and fuscesens, which is Latin for `dark into light.` Its prominent features are long, spiraling light oral arms and undulating tentacles, numbering 24. It has a golden brown bell with a reddish tint, sometimes bright pink. Its tentacles release stinging toxins which can paralyze prey which brush against it. The sea nettle, which also, in a different variety appears in the Atlantic Ocean, has a diet of crustaceans, plankton, snails, small fish, and fish larvae. It can drift slowly or stay stationary as the surrounding ocean currents or it can use its own sort of jet propulsion through the water. Larger fish and birds prey on it. Sea nettles, which are a type of jellyfish, can in the wild live about a year, but can live up to 18 months in an aquarium.