Range: Oceans worldwide

Habitat: Pelagic

Size: 3.5 inches (90 mm) on average, but up to a foot (30.5 cm)

Diet: Other comb jellies and planktonic organisms

Threats: Jellyfish and fish

Lifespan: Unknown

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing cigar comb jellies. Although they have the word “jelly” in their common name, and they're sometimes even referred to as cigar comb jellyfish, comb jellies are not jellyfish. They aren't even classified in the same phylum as jellyfish! Comb jellies do not have tentacles and do not sting, and this extends to cigar comb jellies. The name “cigar” likely comes from this animal’s shape. They're oval-shaped with a wide mouth and slightly tapered end, not entirely unlike a cigar. Another way to describe them, however, is something similar to a floating pocket. Their wide mouth opens up to create a large, open space in which food is collected. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

There are approximately 25 cigar comb jelly species, however it's likely that number will change as more information becomes available. The group as a whole is relatively understudied. These invertebrates live in oceans around the world from shallow shorelines to more than a mile, 1,600 meters, deep. They're pelagic, meaning they swim in the open ocean, and are most frequently found above the continental shelf and slope, although they're even known to enter brackish waters as well. Certain cigar comb jelly species have also managed to move in the places they previously didn't occur. One species from the Atlantic Ocean ended up in the Black Sea after it was released from ship ballast tanks that had previously been filled with water from the Atlantic. Although they're non-natives, their presence actually helped balance the ecosystem there.

Prior to the cigar comb jelly’s introduction to the Black Sea, the planktonic ecosystem was unbalanced due to the introduction of a different invasive comb jelly species. Cigar comb jellyfish are carnivorous. They eat other comb jellies! It just happened to work out that the previous invasive comb jelly species was the perfect prey for the introduced cigar comb jellies. These invertebrates have teeth-like structures inside their mouth which undulate and change shape from something like a pointed stick to something like a hook. It's believed this motion helps breakup prey that's too big to be swallowed whole. Much like a crocodile will consume its meal in chunks, so too does the cigar comb jelly. Unless the animal it's eating is small enough to be entirely engulfed.

A giant open mouth could theoretically make them less water dynamic, but that's why they close their mouth when not in use! Unlike humans who use muscles to close their mouth, cigar comb jellies use adhesion. Essentially, a strip along the inner part of their mouth sticks to their lips, and viola! A sealed mouth. Which means more efficient movement through the water column. They move around with the use of tiny, hair-like structures that sort of act like oars along their body. There are eight rows of these combs along a comb jellyfish's body and as they move they refract light, so the jellyfish look like they're sparkling! What's more, cigar comb jellies have bioluminescence, so they glow along these same eight bands.

Most cigar comb jellyfish species are transparent, although some appear pink or even slightly brown. They're hermaphroditic, meaning a single individual has both sperm and eggs inside its body, and they're technically able to reproduce without a partner, although usually the preferred strategy in these cases is to cross fertilize their gametes with another member of their species. Cigar comb jelly eggs are round. As adults, these invertebrates can reach up to a foot, 30 centimeters, in length, although most average around 3.5 inches, 9 centimeters. Often the cigar comb jellies living closer to shore are smaller than those living out to sea.

For the record, much like other comb jellyfish species, cigar comb jellies can’t sting humans, they’re not dangerous to us. Animals that eat cigar comb jellyfish include true jellyfish species, such as the lion’s mane jellyfish, as well as fish such as the cod, herring, and mackerel.

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