Life span of a jellyfish

Have you ever seen those cool documentaries about creatures of the ocean? If yes, you might have seen these umbrella-shaped organisms floating around. Well, that is the jellyfish. Their bioluminescent and regenerative abilities have captured the eye of scientists. So let’s be scientists for a while and discuss ‘How long does a jellyfish live’?

How long does a jellyfish live and does it get wrinkles?

Well, there is no ballpark for the lifespan of a jellyfish. Factors such as the species of the jellyfish and its environmental conditions determine how long a jellyfish can live. They usually have a life span of 1–3 years. For instance, one of the most common species, the moon jellyfish ( Aurelia aurita ) is known to live for 8–12 months, while the flame jellyfish ( Rhopilema esculentum ) has a short life span of up to 4 months. Even the mighty lion’s mane jellyfish, which grows to reach the size of a blue whale, lives for a year.

Generally, jellyfish tend to have a shorter life in the wild (due to the unfortunately high chances of becoming a meal for larger animals). But if they are kept as pets and are properly maintained, they can live longer. For instance, consider the case of the Flame Jellyfish. While it has a short life of only 4 months, in an aquarium it can live for up to 25 years!

Fun Fact: Yes, jellyfish get wrinkles too! But it isn’t due to old age. Jellyfish acquire wrinkles when they are scared, to warn their predators.

Do jellyfish die or are they immortal ?

Over the years, jellyfish have gained the reputation of being “immortal” because of their remarkable healing and regenerative abilities. But in fact, only one species of jellyfish called Turritopsis dohrnii , is immortal. This immortal jellyfish does not die due to old age. Rather, they are consumed by other sea animals, such as whales or turtles.

Have you ever wanted to go back to being a baby? Obviously, humans can’t do that. But Turritopsis dohrinii can. Through a process called transdifferentiation , a jellyfish can have back its previous cells. It essentially reverts to an earlier stage in its life. Every time a jellyfish starts to get old or is hurt, it decides to go through this process. This means that the process can repeat an apparently infinite number of times, making this jellyfish functionally an immortal animal. Pretty convenient, right?

Now, the reason for its immortality isn’t some magical beauty cream or product. The secret lies in its genome. Scientists at Universidad de Oviedo in Spain have discovered that the genome of the immortal jellyfish is better equipped to protect itself and could be the reason for its long lifespan.

The lifecycle of a jellyfish

We, as boring humans stay more or less similar in all the stages of our life. Whether it be the infant, toddler or adult stage, we still have the same arms and legs, just different in size. But a jellyfish has two distinct stages that barely resemble each other: the polyp stage and the medusa stage . The medusa stage is the one we are most familiar with, in which the jellyfish looks like an umbrella with tentacles. It is also the stage in which the jellyfish produces eggs that are later fertilised to form larvae .

After the larvae settle and get attached to the ocean floor, they enter their polyp stage and form buds. The buds develop into the immature form of jellyfish called the ephyra larvae . The larvae grow into the mature jellyfish, which is, voila, the medusa phase!

Interestingly, in the polyp stage, the jellyfish can sometimes live for many years. The reason is that the jellyfish likes to wait for the appropriate conditions to arrive before it can become an adult. But after it transitions into its adult medusa stage and starts reproducing, it usually doesn’t live longer than a year.

FLESCH KINCAID READING EASE: 60

FLESCH KINCAID GRADE LEVEL: 8.5

Glossary

Turritopsis dohrinii, Aurelia aurita, Rhopilema esculentum: Different species of jellyfish

Transdifferentiation: Conversion of one type of cell into another type of cell

Polyp stage: A life stage in which a jellyfish is attached to the ocean floor by a stalk

Medusa stage: The free-floating, mature, umbrella-shaped stage of jellyfish

Larvae/ Ephyra larvae: The immature form of jellyfish

Read more:

Venus Girdle JellyFish

Do Jellyfish Have Hearts?

References

Fujita, S., Kuranaga, E., & Nakajima, Y. (2021). Regeneration potential of jellyfish: cellular mechanisms and molecular insights. Genes, 12(5), 758. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes12050758

Pascual-Torner, M., Carrero, D., Pérez-Silva, J. G., Álvarez-Puente, D., Roiz-Valle, D., Bretones, G., Rodríguez, D., Maeso, D., Mateo-González, E., Español, Y., Mariño, G., Acuña, J. L., Quesada, V., & López-Otín, C. (2022). Comparative genomics of mortal and immortal cnidarians unveils novel keys behind rejuvenation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(36). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2118763119

Fuchs, B., Wang, W., Graspeuntner, S., Li, Y., Insua, S., Herbst, E., Dirksen, P., Böhm, A., Hemmrich, G., Sommer, F., Domazet-Lošo, T., Klostermeier, U. C., Anton-Erxleben, F., Rosenstiel, P., Bosch, T. C. G., & Khalturin, K. (2014). Regulation of Polyp-to-Jellyfish Transition in Aurelia aurita. Current Biology, 24(3), 263–273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2013.12.003

Aurelia aurita (Moon jellyfish). (n.d.). Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Aurelia_aurita/#:~:text=Moon%20jellyfish%20have%20an%20average,spring%20and%20early%20summer%20season.

American Oceans. (2023). Lion’s Mane Jellyfish Facts Habitat, Diet, Conservation & More. American Oceans. https://www.americanoceans.org/species/lions-mane-jellyfish/#:~:text=Lion’s%20mane%20jellyfish%20go%20through,life%20span%20of%20one%20year.

Squid, jellyfish and wrinkled skin inspire materials for anti-glare screens and encryption – American Chemical Society. (n.d.). American Chemical Society. https://www.acs.org/pressroom/newsreleases/2016/august/squid-jellyfish-and-wrinkled-skin-inspire-materials-for-anti-glare-screens-and-encryption.html