How Jellyfish Multiply: A Simple Explanation for 8-Year-Olds

How Do Jellyfish Multiply?

Jellyfish are unique sea animals that multiply in a special way! They don’t give birth like mammals. Instead, jellyfish have a life cycle that includes different stages:

1. Adult Jellyfish (Medusa): The jellyfish you usually see floating in the ocean is called a medusa. Adult jellyfish can be male or female.
2. Releasing Eggs and Sperm: Male jellyfish release tiny sperm into the water, and female jellyfish release eggs. When the sperm meets the egg, fertilization happens.
3. Planula (Baby Jellyfish): The fertilized egg grows into a tiny, little baby jellyfish called a planula. The planula swims around in the water for a while.
4. Polyp Stage: The planula then attaches itself to a rock or ocean floor and grows into a polyp, which looks like a tiny sea anemone.
5. Baby Jellyfish Budding: The polyp produces many little jellyfish called ephyrae by budding, which means it makes copies of itself.
6. Growing into Adults: These tiny jellyfish ephyrae grow bigger and turn into adult jellyfish, and the cycle starts again!

So, jellyfish multiply through a fascinating process involving eggs, sperm, baby jellyfish, and tiny sea creatures called polyps. It’s like a magical underwater story of how new jellyfish are made!