Jellyfish life cycle, artwork. At bottom right are a sperm (with tail) and egg (round). The sperm fertilises the egg to produce a planula, a small lar

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Jellyfish life cycle, artwork. At bottom right are a sperm (with tail) and egg (round). The sperm fertilises the egg to produce a planula, a small larva covered in cilia. This settles on a surface and develops into a polyp (bottom centre). After a growth phase the polyp begins reproducing asexually and immature jellyfish bud from it. These mature into adult jellyfish, or medusas (top centre). At top right is an enlarged view of a tentacle showing the mechanism by which nematocysts (stinging cells) are deployed.

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Size: 5320px × 3319px
Photo credit: © JOSE ANTONIO PENAS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: adult, animal, aquatic, artwork, asexual, biological, biology, budding, cell, cells, cnidarian, coelenterate, cycle, development, fauna, free, free-swimming, gelatinous, illustration, invertebrate, jellyfish, life, life-cycle, marine, mechanism, medusa, nature, nematocyst, phase, polyp, release, reproduction, sessile, sexual, stages, sting, stinging, swimming, tentacle, underwater, water, wildlife, zoological, zoology