Lion's mane jellyfish: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Lion's mane jellyfish lives – recorded in 12 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Cyanea capillata
Group	Jellyfish, corals & anemones
Found in	12 countries
Continents	Europe, North America
Class	Cnidarian
Order	Semaeostomeae
Family	Cyaneidae

Where does the Lion's mane jellyfish live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Lion's mane jellyfish in 12 countries and territories across Europe and North America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the Lion's mane jellyfish?

The Lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) is a cnidarian in the order Semaeostomeae and the family Cyaneidae, genus Cyanea. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Lion's mane jellyfish

The lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) is one of the largest known species of jellyfish. Its range is confined to cold, boreal waters of the Arctic, northern Atlantic, and northern Pacific Oceans. It is common in the English Channel, Irish Sea, North Sea, and in western Scandinavian waters south to Kattegat and Øresund. Some may also drift outside of their usual perimeters during periods of increased warming, including into the southwestern part of the Baltic Sea (where it cannot breed due to the low salinity). Similar jellyfish – which may be the same species – are known to inhabit seas near Australia and New Zealand. The largest recorded specimen was measured off the coast of Massachusetts in 1865 and had a bell with a diameter of 210 centimetres (7 feet) and tentacles around 36.6 m (120 ft) long. Lion's mane jellyfish have been observed below 42°N latitude for some time in the larger bays of the East Coast of the United States.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Lion's mane jellyfish (revision 1379913531), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q522939 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).