Learn a little about jellyfish with the kids and explore our collection of fun jellyfish printables, worksheets, puzzles, colouring pages and craft activities, below.
Learn About Jellyfish
Despite their name, jellyfish are not actually fish. They are invertebrates, which means that they have no backbone. Jellyfish are ocean animals which have been living on Earth for millions of years - even before dinosaurs roamed the planet! There are more than 2,000 different types of jellyfish and they are found in oceans all over the world. A group of jellyfish is called a smack.
Jellyfish have no brain, heart, bones or eyes, but they do have sensory organs which can detect light. They are made of a smooth bag-like body, shaped like an umbrella, with tentacles. Their mouth is found in the centre of their body, which is where they eats and also discard waste. Some jellyfish move by squirting a jet of water from their mouth which propels them through the water.
Some jellyfish are clear but others are vibrant colours of pink, blue and yellow. Some jellyfish are bioluminescent, which means that they are capable of producing their own light. They use this ability as self defence as it confuses predators who might want to eat them!
Most jellyfish are carnivores, eating small fish, crustaceans and plankton. Their tentacles have tiny cells containing venom which is used to stun or paralyse their prey before they eat them. Sometimes humans accidentally touch jellyfish and their stings can be painful and even deadly, depending on the type of jellyfish.
Jellyfish are not endangered. Their main predator is sea turtles. They are also eaten by humans, particularly in China, where they are also used in some medicines.
These facts and some key words are available in printable form on our jellyfish fact sheet here.
A Fun Jellyfish Fact
Have you ever noticed jellyfish are kept in round tanks in aquariums? This is to stop them getting stuck in corners!