Mangrove Jellyfish

Mangrove jelly fish (Cassiopea xamachana) is so called because it is mostly found in the roots of mangroves in the southern Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and other tropical waters. They are also called the Upside Down jellyfish because they tend to settle upside down in muddy and shallow waters. On first sight, they do not really resemble a jellyfish, instead looking more like a sea anemone, or a bluish green flower on the waterbed. However, this appearance also provides the jellyfish with very effective camouflage and protects it from likely predators.

The reason a mangrove jellyfish is always upside down and lives in shallow waters which are saturated with sunlight, is to allow give these algae, which reside in its body, access to ample sunlight, so that photosynthesis of food becomes possible.