Hanging Jelly

Hanging Jellies are jellyfish that adapted to live on land. While many evolved to live back in the ocean, the terrestrial varieties will be the main focus here. Hanging Jellies can often be found hanging from tree branches, or even floating in fields. Each class of Medusozoa is represented here in a diverse set of animals that each were able to adapt on land independently, from hydras to box jellyfish, to true jellyfish, and even tiny parasitic jellyfish. Medusozoa are related to Anthozoa (corals) that were also able to adapt to life on land.

Mostly living sedentary lives, these animals trap all manner of small (and sometimes very large) prey. They engulf their food, stinging it, poisoning it, and then slowly consuming it. Some are much more active, taking on the qualities of squid and can move with speed and intelligence that normally isn't possible in this group of animals.

Oddly many of these hanging jellyfish take on the same roles as arthropods on other worlds. Or maybe it isn't that odd at all, considering that 99% of all arthropods went extinct on Collena around 200 million years ago. Others live in symbiotic relationships with the trees or animals they attach to.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Subphylum: Medusozoa
Common Name(s):

Hanging Jelly (Common)

Floating Jelly (Common)

Geographic distribution

Types

((will be expanded through the month))

Skyshells

Scyphozoa class Jellyfish that float high in the sky. These creatures evolved a hardened shell to avoid predation from taloned birds and reptiles. Skyshells can grow to colossal sizes and an example living in the Void Lagoon is a contender for the largest animal that ever lived on Collena.

True Hanging Jellies

Cubozoa class Jellyfish that hang from trees, buildings, and even other floating jellyfish. They have many tentacles and some tropical species also happen to be venomous. It isn't beneficial to sting large animals so Regalti are usually completely safe from harm if they accidentally brush against these. If they try to harm the hanging jelly though, then they can expect a nasty sting that may leave them sick, temporarily paralyzed, or much worse... Non tropical species tend to not be dangerous to Regalti at all.

Balloon Jelly

Medusozoa class of Jellyfish that hang low in fields. While most float in place, there are also free ranging predators that have tentacles remarkably similar to squid or octopus in shape, but not evolutionary adaptation. Some balloon jellies can be quite venomous and unlike true hanging jellies, will sting anything that touches them. Tropical species are much more dangerous than temperate varieties, as nearly all temperate varieties lack any sort of stinger and only digest plant matter.

Haeckel-Chrysaora-hysoscella by Ernst Haeckel