medusae
Free-swimming cnidarian forms
Medusae is the plural of medusa, the free-swimming, bell-shaped stage in the life cycle of jellyfish and related creatures.
In this form, the animal pulses through water with tentacles trailing below.
The term comes from the Greek monster Medusa, whose snake hair the tentacles resemble.
Scientists use medusae; ordinary speakers say jellyfish.
Stinging aquatic invertebrate
- bellHollow resonating instrument
- umbrellaHandheld rain shelter
- pulsateBeat with rhythm
- gelatinousViscous and semisolid
scyphozoa · hydrozoa · polyp · stinger · bloom · swarm · tentacle · manubrium
Delicately translucent
- gelatinousViscous and semisolid
- gossamerFilmy, delicate material
- etherealDelicate beyond earthly measure
- pellucidTransparently clear
glassy · bioluminescent · iridescent · transparent · delicate · shimmering · luminous · ghostly
Serpent-haired mythical being
- PerseusGorgon-slaying demigod
- AthenaGreek wisdom deity
- serpentsElongated legless reptiles
- stoneSolid earth fragment
petrify · shield · reflection · Pegasus · Greek · monster · curse · decapitation
Drifting marine microlife
- currentsDirectional flows of movement
- gyreCircular or spiral motion
- buoyancyFluid's upward resistance
- dispersalSpreading in many directions
pelagic · migration · zooplankton · rafting · oceanography · tides · thermocline · upwelling
cnidarian
Stinging aquatic invertebrate
gelatinous · scyphozoa · hydrozoa · polyp · stinger · bloom · swarm · tentacle · manubrium · gonads
diaphanous
Delicately translucent
- gelatinousViscous and semisolid
- gossamerFilmy, delicate material
- etherealDelicate beyond earthly measure
pellucid · glassy · bioluminescent · iridescent · transparent · delicate · shimmering · luminous · ghostly · filmy
Gorgon
Serpent-haired mythical being
stone · petrify · shield · reflection · Pegasus · Greek · monster · curse · decapitation · aegis
plankton
Drifting marine microlife
dispersal · pelagic · migration · zooplankton · rafting · oceanography · tides · thermocline · upwelling · surface
venom
Injected animal poison
prey · capture · tentacle · harpoon · discharge · envenomation · urticaria · treatment · vinegar · antivenin
- cnidarianssea anemone, corals, stony coral, moon jelly, jellyfish
- planktonzooplankton, phytoplankton, krill, copepods, copepod
- medusa headSerpent-haired monster's severed visage
- Medusa's headSnake-crowned lethal countenance