The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History invites you to the grand opening of the new JELLIES exhibit on Saturday, March 24 from 10am to 5pm at the Ty Warner Sea Center on Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara.
In the JELLIES exhibit, visitors will fully immerse themselves in an up-close encounter with jellies of all shapes, sizes and colors. Featuring several species of jellies, including Moon Jellies, Northeast Pacific Sea Nettles, and Lion’s Mane Jellies, the new exhibit provides guests with the unique opportunity to experience the beauty of these translucent creatures first-hand.
“The ocean supports a great diversity of life that cannot be fully explored from the coastline. The JELLIES exhibit enables more people to discover and appreciate the diversity and sheer beauty of California marine life,” says Amanda Hendrickson, Director of the Ty Warner Sea Center. “We hope this and other exhibits at the Sea Center serve as inspiration for visitors to become involved as ocean stewards.”
MEET THE JELLIES
Moon Jellies (Aurelia aurita), also known as Saucer Jellies, thrive in a variety of temperate marine environments and can be found nearly anywhere. This species of jelly is typically transparent, but can be light shades of pink or blue, depending on diets. Moon Jellies use their stinging cells to catch prey like plankton and larvae, but are harmless to humans. This species of jellies plays several roles in the marine ecosystem by feeding other marine life like Leatherback Turtles and Ocean Sunfish, as well as controlling the amount of plankton in the ocean and supporting the growth of marine plants by enriching the seafloor with their waste.
Lion’s Mane Jellies (Cyanea capillata) are the largest known species of jellies, growing up to eight feet in diameter with its tentacles up to 150 feet in overall length. However, Lion’s Mane Jellies on our coast average a bell diameter of 20 inches and tentacles lengths closer to 30 feet. The body of a Lion’s Mane Jelly consists of eight lobes, each containing its own cluster of tentacles. Each cluster can have up to 100 individual tentacles, which the Lion’s Mane Jelly uses to catch food and bring up to its mouth, as well as to defend itself against predators like Sea Turtles. This species of jelly typically lives in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans; on our coast ranging from Alaska to Southern California.
Northeast Pacific Sea Nettles (Chrysaora fuscescens) can be found along the Northeastern Pacific coasts of Washington, Oregon and California. This species of jelly has a golden-brown bell with 24 long tentacles trailing along the bell’s perimeter, as well as four white oral arms that trail from the center. Northeast Pacific Sea Nettles can grow to be more than three feet in diameter, while their oral arms and tentacles can reach 15 feet in length. Their bodies play host to other sea life that use the Sea Nettle’s bell and tentacles as protection, including juvenile Cancer Crabs, some species of butterfly fish, and other species of Medusae.
More About The Ty Warner Sea Center
Entry into JELLIES is included with a Sea Center general admission. Museum Members are free. Non-members $8/adult, $7/senior, $7/teen, $5/child and anyone 2 and under is free. The Ty Warner Sea Center (owned and operated by the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History) is located on Stearns Wharf and fulfills the mission of the Museum to inspire a passion for the natural world.
At the Sea Center visitors of all ages can enjoy interactive exhibits like the JELLIES and other exhibits that allow vistors opportunities to work like scientists. In addition the center has a theater showcasing the wonders of the Santa Barbara Channel, hands-on close encounters with sea creatures, and a live shark touch pool. Children can crawl through a 1,500-gallon tidepool tank to see ocean life from a different perspective. Vistors of all ages find the Sea Center an engaging, interactive marine education facility that allows visitors to discover the fun in science and the wonders of the natural world.
The Ty Warner Sea Center is located on Stearns Wharf at the end of State Street at 211 Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara. It is owned and operated by the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and offers numerous marine exhibits and aquaria and a window on the Santa Barbara Channel.
The Sea Center is open daily between 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve (at Noon), Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
For more information about the JELLIES exhibit, the Ty Warner Sea Center, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, please visit www.sbnature.org.
