Top 15 Weirdest Animals in the World

Page 5 of 16

#4 Fried Egg Jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata)!

Fried Egg Jellyfish - Photo: Vilainecrevette/Shutterstock

Facts

Class: Cnidaria
Order: Rhizostomae
Family: Cepheidae
Distribution: Mediterranean Sea, sometimes Atlantic
Habitat: Open Sea

Someone bring me a... jellyfish! Why does it look like a fried egg?

A floating fried egg in the ocean! When you see this jellyfish from above for the first time, you can hardly believe your eyes. The white, flat dome has a yellow-orange bump in the center that looks exactly like a runny egg yolk. And this "egg" is incredibly large: The fried egg jellyfish can reach a diameter of up to 35 cm! You would almost need an ostrich egg to cook such a big breakfast in the pan.

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The yellow color in the middle is not just a coincidence; it's a brilliant trick of nature. Tiny, single-celled plants known as zooxanthellae (algae) live within the jellyfish's dome. The jellyfish and the algae share a close partnership (symbiosis): The algae use sunlight to produce energy and sugar, sharing this food with the jellyfish. In return, the jellyfish provides the algae with a safe home and protection from predators.

Fried Egg Jellyfish Fried Egg Jellyfish - Photo: Vilainecrevette/Shutterstock

Harmless Jellyfish: No Need to Panic While Swimming

Many people fear jellyfish because their tentacles can leave painful stings on the skin. However, with the fried egg jellyfish, you can relax. While it does have stinging cells with venom to immobilize tiny plankton (the smallest creatures in the water), this venom is completely harmless to humans. If you touch it while snorkeling in the Mediterranean, you usually feel nothing at all or just a very slight tingling sensation.

The Floating Hotel for Small Fish

Under the large umbrella of the jellyfish, many short tentacles dangle, resembling blue and purple pearls at their tips. Small fish, such as young mackerels, often hide among these arms. They use the jellyfish as a floating shield. When a predator approaches, the tiny fish quickly retreat deep into the jellyfish's tentacles, where they are safe from attackers.

I never expected this: While snorkeling in the Mediterranean, I actually spotted a fried egg jellyfish. It was my absolute highlight!

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Silke from animalfunfacts.net

Continue to spot 5: The little hedgehog from the jungle

On the next page, a tiny mammal awaits you, looking like a colorful mix of a bumblebee, a mouse, and a hedgehog. When it gets angry, it not only raises its spines but also performs a Kung-Fu-like leap directly at its enemies! Click ahead now to meet the absolutely spiky striped tenrec!