comb jelly
Iridescent marine invertebrate
A comb jelly is a gelatinous marine animal that swims using rows of tiny hair-like structures called cilia, which refract light into rainbow patterns.
Though they resemble jellyfish, comb jellies form a separate phylum (Ctenophora) and lack stinging cells.
Most are transparent and bioluminescent: We watched comb jellies pulsing through the dark water.
Drifting marine microlife
- currentsDirectional flows of movement
- floatBuoyant object or vehicle
- buoyancyFluid's upward resistance
- pelagicOf the open sea
drift · glide · midwater · suspended · oceanic · waft · passive · meander
Flexible grasping appendages
- preyAnimal being hunted
- carnivoreCreature eating only animals
- captureTake into custody
- engulfCompletely surround and cover
voracious · ambush · sticky · feeding · zooplankton · copepods · larvae · hunt
Permitting diffused light passage
- jellylikeResembling a soft gel
- squishySoft and easily compressed
- quiveringShaking slightly and rapidly
- wobblyTending to teeter
viscous · diaphanous · fragile · delicate · gossamer · transparent · soft-bodied · amorphous
Refracted light arc
- iridescentShowing shifting spectral colors
- shimmerTremulous, wavering light
- glowSteady, soft light
- luminescentEmitting soft light
prismatic · spectral · cilia · refraction · opalescent · glinting · phosphorescent · radiant
Hairlike cellular projections
plankton
Drifting marine microlife
- currentsDirectional flows of movement
- floatBuoyant object or vehicle
- buoyancyFluid's upward resistance
pelagic · drift · glide · midwater · suspended · oceanic · waft · passive · meander · zooplankton
tentacles
Flexible grasping appendages
engulf · voracious · ambush · sticky · feeding · zooplankton · copepods · larvae · hunt · digestion
translucent
Permitting diffused light passage
- jellylikeResembling a soft gel
- squishySoft and easily compressed
- quiveringShaking slightly and rapidly
wobbly · viscous · diaphanous · fragile · delicate · gossamer · transparent · soft-bodied · amorphous · elastic
rainbow
Refracted light arc
- iridescentShowing shifting spectral colors
- shimmerTremulous, wavering light
- glowSteady, soft light
luminescent · prismatic · spectral · cilia · refraction · opalescent · glinting · phosphorescent · radiant · glimmer
cilia
Hairlike cellular projections
oceanic
Of the sea
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
- planktonDrifting marine microlife
- seaSaltwater body, not ocean
aquatic · ecosystem · depths · bloom · invasive · pelagic · waters · ancient