Nausithoe Aurea is a salt water organism.  It is a type of jellyfish and is one of the smallest of its family.  It has a very unique body structure and way of life.  Like most jellyfish, it lives in the ocean and eats small prey.

 

The average size of Nausithoe Aurea is 10.5 millimeters.  It is made of 97% water and is mostly clear except for the yellow and brown spots around the gonads.  The Nausithoe Aurea is extremely small and can only be hunted by predators that can detect its presence.  The yellow and brown spots around the gonads are what make it stand out.

 

Nausithoe Aurea is a passive predator that only eats what is around it.  The population is usually small unless there is a surplus of nutrients causes the population to increase rapidly.  The Nausithoe Aurea lives in both the shallow and deep waters primarily off the southeastern coast of Brazil.

 

The role of the Nausithoe Aurea in the food chain is to feed on small organisms which keeps their population down.  Its tentacles kill or stun prey by intoxicating them with their nematocysts.  They compete with small fish for food, however, if they eat too much it can upset the balance of the food chain.  Its predators are tuna, swordfish, moonfish, triggerfish, and certain sea turtles such as the leatherback.  Nausithoe Aurea relies on currents and tides to evade enemies.

One thing that is very interesting about the Nausithoe Aurea is it's extremely rare.  This animal is a small predator that can devour its enemies.  This saltwater jellyfish is unique because it’s nearly clear and has a long odd shaped body; whereas other species of jellyfish are bulbous.

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Author: Gavin D.
Published: 02/2013

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Sources:

Unknown. "Jellyfish." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Feb. 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2013

"Scyphozoan." The Scyphozoan. UC Merced, 02 Feb. 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.

"Jellyfish." National Geographic. Kids National Geographic Creature Feature, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013.

Kite, Patricia. The Jellyfish. Toronto: Albert Whitman &, 1993. Print.

"Fun Facts about Jellyfish." JellyWatch Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013

 

 

Photo Credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Nausithoe_aurea.jpg/220px-Nausithoe_aurea.jpg