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They're majestic, mesmerizing, even a little otherworldly. They take on a variety of forms, from bells to toadstools to cauliflower. They're multiplying at what some would consider an alarming rate, and serve as barometers of the health of the world's oceans.
A new exhibit at the National Aquarium in Baltimore focuses on the many facets of "jellies," the brainless, spineless, heartless but beautiful creatures that are known for their ability to sting and can be found around the globe.
"Jellies Invasion: Oceans Out of Balance" is the title of a $2.2 million exhibit that opens Saturday in the aquarium's Marine Mammal Pavilion on Inner Harbor Pier 4.
This is the second time Baltimore's aquarium has mounted an exhibit about these gelatinous animals, after the popular "Jellies: Phantoms of the Deep" from 1996 to 1998.
While that exhibit highlighted the creatures' visual appeal and mysterious nature, the new one has a more ominous message. Although they appear delicate and fragile, these are actually hardy specimens that have been likened to pigeons and cockroaches for their ability to survive in less than ideal conditions. More than 95 percent water, they date back 650 million years, before dinosaurs roamed the earth.
"The exhibit we had before was about the beauty of jellies," said Jack Cover, the aquarium's general curator of fishes and rain forest exhibits. "This exhibit has more of an environmental message. In the time that has gone by [since the first exhibit], our ability to keep jellies in captivity has improved. So we have a much greater variety and more of a conservationist message."
When people think of jellies, they often think about getting stung, Cover added. "But now we know they are also leading indicators about the health of the oceans. Human activities that unintentionally favor jellies can also change the balance of the earth's aquatic ecosystems. This exhibit tells the whole story of the jellyfish population and what jellies are telling us."
Although they are commonly referred to as jellyfish, the creatures on display are neither fish nor jelly. They are marine invertebrates known as cnidarians, most closely related to sea anemones and corals.
On the first floor of the Marine Mammal Pavilion, the new exhibit shows up to nine different kinds of jellies at any given time. Several can be found in the Mid Atlantic: including the Lion's Mane, Moon Jelly and Atlantic sea nettle. Others live farther away, such as the Blue Blubber Jelly, found off the coast of Australia.
The exhibit contains a variety of tanks that enable visitors to see jellies close up. A dome-shaped tank showcases the Upside-Down Jellies, which look like flowers and can have a green or gray-blue hue. Glass columns house the Blue Blubbers and Spotted Lagoon Jellies. Tanks with racetrack-shaped openings feature the Atlantic and Pacific sea nettles, which can drift through the water like clouds in the sky, and the walnut-shaped Leidy's Comb Jellies, which light up like lightning bugs.
"We wanted to re-create what a diver would see," Cover said of the exhibit. "It's like watching living lava lamps. It's peaceful. It's relaxing. It's ever-changing. They're mesmerizing to watch. As much as people may disdain sea nettles for stinging them, they're part of the ecosystem. It's best to learn to live with them and appreciate their beauty."
While some viewers will concentrate on the creatures' forms and pulsating movements, "Jellies Invasion" also tells the story of their ability to indicate the health of the ocean, particularly with the advent of global warming.
Over the centuries, visitors learn, the number of jellies was kept in check because they were eaten by predators such as sea turtles and jelly-eating fish. But as sea turtles and fish have become endangered by hunting or drowning in fishing nets, the threat to the jellies has decreased and their numbers have grown.
At the same time, jellies have developed an ability to adapt and survive in environments that other creatures can't tolerate. When water conditions are poor, fish can die in large fish kills. But jellies have low oxygen requirements and are able to survive in polluted water. In addition, many are transparent, which helps them avoid being eaten. When food is scarce, they shrink in size, requiring less to eat. So the abundance of jellies can be a signal that water conditions for other species are poor.
In some cases, jellies have proliferated so much that they have clogged cooling intakes on cruise ships and nuclear power plants and hampered commercial fishing operations.
Those intrigued by the technology behind an aquarium are sure to marvel at the way this exhibit was created. It occupies space that was originally used as a gift shop. The aquarium staff, including senior director of exhibits and design Mark Donovan, and exhibit designers Jeannine Lockwood and David Ferraro, had to add a series of tanks with their own filtration and salination systems to replicate conditions in nature. The darkened gallery has a futuristic feel that evokes the notion of invaders and travel through space.
Some of the jellies were caught off the East Coast and brought to the aquarium. Others were bred in tanks inside the neighboring Columbus Center and moved to Pier 4 after the exhibit was constructed. The exhibit will be up for at least two years.
Besides the tanks, the exhibit contains touch screens, videos and other high-tech features that enable visitors to learn more about the jellies they see. One of the more useful panels contains information about which jellies sting the most and what remedies work. The exhibit also fits in with the aquarium's efforts to stress the need to conserve natural resources. Panels remind visitors not to over-fertilize the lawn, to use mass transit and to buy "sustainable seafood."
Cover said he hopes visitors will come away from the jellies exhibit not only with a better appreciation for their beauty, but for what they reveal about the state of the planet and the steps people can take to improve the environment.
"What we want them to take away is that there are still things people can do," he said. "The biggest thing is awareness. Every person can do something."
If you go
"Jellies Invasion: Oceans Out of Balance" opens Saturday at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, 501 E. Pratt St. Tickets are $24.95-$14.95. Call 410-576-3800 or go to aqua.org.
A new exhibit at the National Aquarium in Baltimore focuses on the many facets of "jellies," the brainless, spineless, heartless but beautiful creatures that are known for their ability to sting and can be found around the globe.
"Jellies Invasion: Oceans Out of Balance" is the title of a $2.2 million exhibit that opens Saturday in the aquarium's Marine Mammal Pavilion on Inner Harbor Pier 4.
This is the second time Baltimore's aquarium has mounted an exhibit about these gelatinous animals, after the popular "Jellies: Phantoms of the Deep" from 1996 to 1998.
While that exhibit highlighted the creatures' visual appeal and mysterious nature, the new one has a more ominous message. Although they appear delicate and fragile, these are actually hardy specimens that have been likened to pigeons and cockroaches for their ability to survive in less than ideal conditions. More than 95 percent water, they date back 650 million years, before dinosaurs roamed the earth.
"The exhibit we had before was about the beauty of jellies," said Jack Cover, the aquarium's general curator of fishes and rain forest exhibits. "This exhibit has more of an environmental message. In the time that has gone by [since the first exhibit], our ability to keep jellies in captivity has improved. So we have a much greater variety and more of a conservationist message."
When people think of jellies, they often think about getting stung, Cover added. "But now we know they are also leading indicators about the health of the oceans. Human activities that unintentionally favor jellies can also change the balance of the earth's aquatic ecosystems. This exhibit tells the whole story of the jellyfish population and what jellies are telling us."
Although they are commonly referred to as jellyfish, the creatures on display are neither fish nor jelly. They are marine invertebrates known as cnidarians, most closely related to sea anemones and corals.
On the first floor of the Marine Mammal Pavilion, the new exhibit shows up to nine different kinds of jellies at any given time. Several can be found in the Mid Atlantic: including the Lion's Mane, Moon Jelly and Atlantic sea nettle. Others live farther away, such as the Blue Blubber Jelly, found off the coast of Australia.
The exhibit contains a variety of tanks that enable visitors to see jellies close up. A dome-shaped tank showcases the Upside-Down Jellies, which look like flowers and can have a green or gray-blue hue. Glass columns house the Blue Blubbers and Spotted Lagoon Jellies. Tanks with racetrack-shaped openings feature the Atlantic and Pacific sea nettles, which can drift through the water like clouds in the sky, and the walnut-shaped Leidy's Comb Jellies, which light up like lightning bugs.
"We wanted to re-create what a diver would see," Cover said of the exhibit. "It's like watching living lava lamps. It's peaceful. It's relaxing. It's ever-changing. They're mesmerizing to watch. As much as people may disdain sea nettles for stinging them, they're part of the ecosystem. It's best to learn to live with them and appreciate their beauty."
While some viewers will concentrate on the creatures' forms and pulsating movements, "Jellies Invasion" also tells the story of their ability to indicate the health of the ocean, particularly with the advent of global warming.
Over the centuries, visitors learn, the number of jellies was kept in check because they were eaten by predators such as sea turtles and jelly-eating fish. But as sea turtles and fish have become endangered by hunting or drowning in fishing nets, the threat to the jellies has decreased and their numbers have grown.
At the same time, jellies have developed an ability to adapt and survive in environments that other creatures can't tolerate. When water conditions are poor, fish can die in large fish kills. But jellies have low oxygen requirements and are able to survive in polluted water. In addition, many are transparent, which helps them avoid being eaten. When food is scarce, they shrink in size, requiring less to eat. So the abundance of jellies can be a signal that water conditions for other species are poor.
In some cases, jellies have proliferated so much that they have clogged cooling intakes on cruise ships and nuclear power plants and hampered commercial fishing operations.
Those intrigued by the technology behind an aquarium are sure to marvel at the way this exhibit was created. It occupies space that was originally used as a gift shop. The aquarium staff, including senior director of exhibits and design Mark Donovan, and exhibit designers Jeannine Lockwood and David Ferraro, had to add a series of tanks with their own filtration and salination systems to replicate conditions in nature. The darkened gallery has a futuristic feel that evokes the notion of invaders and travel through space.
Some of the jellies were caught off the East Coast and brought to the aquarium. Others were bred in tanks inside the neighboring Columbus Center and moved to Pier 4 after the exhibit was constructed. The exhibit will be up for at least two years.
Besides the tanks, the exhibit contains touch screens, videos and other high-tech features that enable visitors to learn more about the jellies they see. One of the more useful panels contains information about which jellies sting the most and what remedies work. The exhibit also fits in with the aquarium's efforts to stress the need to conserve natural resources. Panels remind visitors not to over-fertilize the lawn, to use mass transit and to buy "sustainable seafood."
Cover said he hopes visitors will come away from the jellies exhibit not only with a better appreciation for their beauty, but for what they reveal about the state of the planet and the steps people can take to improve the environment.
"What we want them to take away is that there are still things people can do," he said. "The biggest thing is awareness. Every person can do something."
If you go
"Jellies Invasion: Oceans Out of Balance" opens Saturday at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, 501 E. Pratt St. Tickets are $24.95-$14.95. Call 410-576-3800 or go to aqua.org.
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