Moon jellyfish
Amazing fact
The petal-like patterns in a moon jellyfish’s bell are its stomach and reproductive organs.
葛西臨海水族園
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The petal-like patterns in a moon jellyfish’s bell are its stomach and reproductive organs.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Moon jellyfish
- Scientific name
- Aurelia coerulea
- Japanese name
- ミズクラゲ
- Group
- Ocean animals
- Class
- Scyphozoa
- Order
- Semaeostomeae
- Family
- Ulmaridae
- Genus
- Aurelia
A jellyfish commonly seen along the coasts of Japan. It lives drifting through the sea.
Its soft body is mostly water. Its long, thin tentacles hold stinging capsules with tiny venom needles inside.
It catches food with its stinging capsules, then ribbon-like oral arms carry the food to its mouth.
Basic data
- Size
- Bell diameter: 30 cm
- Range
- North Pacific, western Pacific, and eastern Indian Ocean
Where the Moon jellyfish has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ミズクラゲ
- 简体中文
- 海月水母
- 繁體中文
- 海月水母
- Português (Brasil)
- Água-viva-lua-asiática
- Italiano
- Medusa quadrifoglio asiatica
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 葛西臨海水族園 — ミズクラゲChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Moon jellyfish, look for this
- Look for orange patches in its bell.
- That color may be a sign that it has just eaten brine shrimp.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
葛西臨海水族園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Moon jellyfish
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Semaeostomeae
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