When the Pacific Sea Nettle stings with its maroon tentacles, people say it feels somewhat like a bee sting.
Fortunately, when I photographed the sea nettle, I had my two feet planted firmly on the ground and not in the water, so I did not experience the feeling.
What I found so fascinating about this species is how different they are from us as mammals. Lack of backbone aside, they seem to be from some other planet. They grow attached to a surface in the water and can make identical copies of themselves that all eventually become jellyfish.
Then, they capture prey by paralyzing it with their tentacles and using the tentacles and hands that look like streaks of white glob to push it into their mouth. They bob in the water waiting for prey to come to them, yet know enough to go out to sea in the spring and summer and come closer to shore in the fall and winter.
I spotted them in April years ago near the shore on a pier in Monterey, California. I don’t know for sure, but I think the one I saw must be fairly young – it’s small and still close to shore. Kids kept yelling out, “A Jellyfish! A Jellyfish! A Jellyfish!” It was fun to watch them bobbing and weaving in the water (there were several mixed in with fish).
They are popular in aquariums, and I can see why – their bright colors really make them stand out.