Egg-Yolk Jelly

Phacellophora camtschatica

Egg-Yolk Jelly

Phacellophora camtschatica
Other Common Names
Fried Egg Jelly
Other Common Names
Fried Egg Jelly

At the Aquarium

Jelly Gallery

Appearance

A transparent white body with a yellow center gives the egg-yolk jelly an appearance similar to a fried egg. Its large circular body, known as a bell, stretches out to one to two feet wide. The center is colored yellow due to the jelly’s reproductive organs.

Habitat

Open waters

Diet

Fish eggs and larvae including those of Pacific herring, other jellies

Life History

The eggs of the egg-yolk jelly are released into the ocean waters. After hatching, the baby jellies settle to the seafloor and become small polyps. When the water is perfect, each polyp will release small baby jellies into the ocean. After around nine months the small jellies grow into mini adults. Over time the mini adults grow into the full one to two foot wide adult jelly.

IUCN Status

Not Evaluated

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

These large jellies create a symbiotic relationship with amphipods and young crabs. The amphipods and crabs live around and in the jelly thus receiving a safe place to call home in the vast ocean. The egg-yolk jelly feeds on the waste and shedded exoskeletons of its tenants.
Alaska to southern California
Egg-yolk jellies can be found drifting across the offshore waters of the Oregon coast. Individuals may occasionally be found washed up on the beach.
Despite their name, the egg-yolk jelly does not taste like eggs.

Citations & Other Resources