Bananas for Scale
Lion's Mane Jellyfish

Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash

Lion's Mane Jellyfish

The world's longest known animal/Marine Life

The lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) holds the record for the longest known animal on Earth, and its trailing tentacles can stretch farther than a blue whale. Found in the cold waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic, it's a reminder that the ocean keeps producing things that feel like they shouldn't be real. Despite its massive size, it's mostly water, about 95%.

Measurements

Tentacle length36.5 m
20.3Bookcase heights
38.4 quintillionthsGlobular cluster widths

Longest recorded specimen; longer than a blue whale

Bell diameter2.1 m
4.5 tenthsToyota Corollas
8.8 tenthsForklift lengths

Largest recorded bell

Body mass150 kg
1.5 millionHoneybee weights
150 millionGrains of sand
50Labrador puppies

Large specimen; body is ~95% water

Oral arm length6 m
26.1Wine glass heights
119AA battery lengths
4.8 millionthsCalifornia lengths

The frilly arms surrounding the mouth

Pulsing speed5 tenths m/s
25 millionthsMeteorites
1Escalator

Mostly drifts with currents

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