The Atlantic Sea Nettle, also known as the East Coast sea nettle or US Atlantic sea nettle, is a species of jellyfish that inhabits the Atlantic coast of the United States. It is bell-shaped and can reach up to 40 cm (16 in) in diameter. The sea nettle is radially symmetrical, marine, and carnivorous. They generally feed on zooplankton, ctenophores, other jellies, and sometimes crustaceans. They are also able to consume minnows, bay anchovy eggs, worms, and mosquito larvae. Sea nettles immobilize and obtain their prey using their stinging tentacles. After that, the prey is transported to the gastrovascular cavity where it is subsequently digested. Sea nettles have no excretory or respiratory organs. Each sea nettle is either in a free-swimming stage or a polyp stage. The free-swimming stage, or medusa stage reproduces sexually, and the polyp stage reproduces asexually. It's usually semi-transparent and has small, white dots and reddish-brown stripes. Sea nettles without stripes have a bell that appears white or opaque. The sea nettle's sting is rated from "moderate" to "severe" and can be noxious to smaller prey; it is not, however, potent enough to cause human death, except by allergic reaction. Even with their stinging tentacles, sea nettles will still often have prey stolen from them by fish like barreleye.
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