Chrysaora fuscescens, the Pacific sea nettle or West Coast sea nettle, is a widespread planktonic scyphozoan cnidarian —or medusa, "jellyfish" or "jelly"—that lives in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, in temperate to cooler waters off of British Columbia and the West Coast of the United States, ranging south to México.

The West Coast sea nettle’s species name, fuscescens, means dusky or dark referring to the dusky color of the nettle’s bell. Commonly in coastal waters of California and Oregon. Less common west to Japan, north to the Gulf of Alaska, and south to the Baja Peninsula.

Learn about Pacific sea nettle, including their habitat, diet, range and population status, and where you can find them at the National Aquarium.

The Pacific sea nettle (Chrysaora fuscescens), or West Coast sea nettle, is a widespread planktonic scyphozoan cnidarian—or medusa, “jellyfish” or “jelly”—that lives in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, in temperate to cooler waters off of British Columbia and the West Coast of the United States, ranging south to México.

Not all jellies sting, but the sea nettle does. It hunts tiny drifting animals by trailing those long tentacles and frilly mouth-arms, all covered with stinging cells. When the tentacles touch prey, …

The West Coast sea nettle (Chrysaora fuscescens), also known as the Pacific sea nettle, is a type of Scyphozoa which lives in the Pacific Ocean. For humans its sting is usually irritating, but rarely dangerous.

The chrysaora fuscescens jellyfish is also called the Pacific or West Coast sea nettle. It lives along the Pacific Coast, as far north as the Gulf of Alaska and west as Japan’s Baja Peninsula, but resides predominantly in the California and Oregon regions.

Chrysaora fuscescens is a cnidarian scyphomedusa that occurs in the northern California Current. In this upwelling system, medusae are seasonally abundant, and individuals can ingest 10-60% of the standing stock of vulnerable zooplankton taxa per day.

Chrysaora colorata (photo) is an oceanic species found mainly south of San Francisco. Its color is magenta, brown, and blue combining to form a purple pattern on the mainly whitish exumbrella. Many older references confuse our west coast C. fuscescens with C. melanaster. Geographical Range: Japan, Siberia, northern Alaska to Mexico.

Chrysaora fuscescens Brandt, 1835. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=287206 on 2025-01-19