Ron Adley There's something mesmerizing about jellies moving through the water that draws the eye...Throw in their extraordinary color variations and body configurations and this is an animal with intrigue......
There are some 2,000 species of jellyfish; some are tasty, others will kill you with the tap of a tentacle. Jellyfish species have all kinds of offbeat common names: fried-egg jellies, cabbage heads, big reds. But their scientific names can be funky too.
Phialella zappai is named in honor of Frank Zappa; the Italian scientist who discovered the jellyfish was reportedly angling for a visit from the famous musician. Likewise, Monterey Bay Aquarium jelly guru Chad Widmer named Amphinema rollinsi after hard-core punk artist Henry Rollins, whose music he admires.
But sometimes a gelatinous namesake can be a dubious honor. Malo kingi is a nod to Robert King, an American tourist who was killed by the jellyfish’s sting in Australia in 2002.
Exteme Jellyfish: Smithsonian
Ron Adley There's something mesmerizing about jellies moving through the water that draws the eye...Throw in their extraordinary color variations and body configurations and this is an animal with intrigue......
There are some 2,000 species of jellyfish; some are tasty, others will kill you with the tap of a tentacle. Jellyfish species have all kinds of offbeat common names: fried-egg jellies, cabbage heads, big reds. But their scientific names can be funky too.
Phialella zappai is named in honor of Frank Zappa; the Italian scientist who discovered the jellyfish was reportedly angling for a visit from the famous musician. Likewise, Monterey Bay Aquarium jelly guru Chad Widmer named Amphinema rollinsi after hard-core punk artist Henry Rollins, whose music he admires.
But sometimes a gelatinous namesake can be a dubious honor. Malo kingi is a nod to Robert King, an American tourist who was killed by the jellyfish’s sting in Australia in 2002.
Exteme Jellyfish: Smithsonian
Ron Adley There's something mesmerizing about jellies moving through the water that draws the eye...Throw in their extraordinary color variations and body configurations and this is an animal with intrigue......
There are some 2,000 species of jellyfish; some are tasty, others will kill you with the tap of a tentacle. Jellyfish species have all kinds of offbeat common names: fried-egg jellies, cabbage heads, big reds. But their scientific names can be funky too.
Phialella zappai is named in honor of Frank Zappa; the Italian scientist who discovered the jellyfish was reportedly angling for a visit from the famous musician. Likewise, Monterey Bay Aquarium jelly guru Chad Widmer named Amphinema rollinsi after hard-core punk artist Henry Rollins, whose music he admires.
But sometimes a gelatinous namesake can be a dubious honor. Malo kingi is a nod to Robert King, an American tourist who was killed by the jellyfish’s sting in Australia in 2002.
Exteme Jellyfish: Smithsonian