The
lion's mane jellyfish (
Cyanea capillata) is one of the largest known species of
jellyfish, with a range confined to the cold,
boreal waters of the Arctic, northern Atlantic, and northern Pacific Oceans. These photographs depict a lion's mane jellyfish in
Gullmarn, a
fjord on the western coast of Sweden, with its bell alternately expanded (top) and contracted (bottom). The specimen was likely a juvenile, with a bell 10 to 12 centimetres (3.9 to 4.7 in) in diameter and tentacles 60 to 80 centimetres (24 to 31 in) in length. The largest recorded individual of the species had a bell approximately 210 centimetres (7 ft) wide and tentacles around 36.6 metres (120 ft) long.
Photograph credit: W.carter