Ctenophores (the ‘c’ is silent) or comb jellies are just plain cool. There are two species in the coastal bays behind Assateague – sea walnuts (Mnemiopsis leidyi) and pink comb jellies (Beroe ovate). These species can be found there year round, but since they have transparent jelly-like bodies and lack the stinging cells that true jellyfish have, no one really seems to notice them. But if you capture one in a jar and inspect it closely, you will never forget about them again! If you capture a comb jelly during the day, the first thing you will notice when scrutinizing it is that it has eight comb rows of cilia arranged in lines along the outside of its body. These tiny hairs beat synchronously and propel the ctenophore through the water. Many microscopic organisms use cilia to swim—but comb jellies are the largest known animals to do so. As the hairs beat, light scatters off of them and makes it appear as though rainbows are moving up the ctenophore’s sides in waves. If you capture a comb jelly at night, you will notice that it gives off a soft green bioluminescent glow. Both of these light shows are independent of one another. The rainbow display seen during the day is simply light diffraction; the green glow seen at night is a chemical reaction!
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 10:20:00 +0000
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