Jelly babies relocate to London
Friday 24 April 2009
The BUGS exhibit has welcomed some spineless spotty additions to its tanks.
© ZSL
Baby jellyfish that commuted to ZSL London Zoo on a train from “up north” have settled into their new home.
The tropical, white-spotted jellyfish (Phyllorhiza punctata), native to the southwestern Pacific, have moved into a special tank in BUGS after arriving from The Deep in Yorkshire.
ZSL London Zoo and The Deep are the only places to house the alien-like jellyfish, and ZSL hopes to breed these as part of a new jellyfish husbandry group set up between UK collections.
The jellyfish get their name because their rounded, bell-shaped, body is covered in white dots.
Kate Pearce looks in on the baby jellyfish Kate Pearce, who looks after aquatics in BUGS, said: 'It’s great to have this species as part of our collection because they are so rare in captivity. They’re a nice change to the moon jellyfish we’ve had in the past.'
Like corals, the jellyfish photosynthesise at night which provides them with food - but they are also fed tiny brine shrimps as well.
To create a more interesting exhibit the bright light in their tank is turned on during the night and switched off during the day, so they are bathed in an eerie blue glow.
The jellyfish could grow to over 20cm in diameter, but are currently around 6cm, so come and see them while they are still jelly babies.
