THE BLACK AND WHITE SILENCE OF MEDUSA

This time I have something for nature lovers, actually for those who love underwater life like me 😀

Let me introduce you to a jellyfish (or medusa) called CASSIOPEA ANDROMEDA.
I came across this species during a visit to the Cologne Zoo in Germany this summer. Next to the zoo there’s an aquarium and as someone who truly enjoys visiting places like that, of course I couldn’t resist stepping inside.

I love aquariums, oceanariums and similar spaces. I visited already a lot of them in whole Europe. There is something magical about them. You can discover a different world there — plants, fish, invertebrates — many of them unlike anything we normally see.
Many of the underwater plants have unreal colors and some of the animals move in such a gentle, hypnotic way that it’s hard to stop watching.😍

This particular jellyfish is not really colorful but I thought the black and white version fits it perfectly. The contrast shows the structure so beautifully, it almost feels like a living lace, dancing slowly in the water. And yes — it was actually swimming not lying still like these jellyfish often do. That really caught my attention.

🧬 A few facts about CASSIOPEA ANDROMEDA:

– It’s often called the "upside-down jellyfish" because in the wild it usually lies flat on the bottom of shallow waters

– Why? Because inside its body it keeps tiny algae and those algae need sunlight to produce food through photosynthesis. The jellyfish in return gets part of that energy.

– So this is not a typical predator, it lives in peaceful symbiosis with photosynthetic organisms. A truly unique lifestyle for a medusa!

– What you're seeing here is not just a jellyfish — it’s a living collaboration between animal and plant-like life.

I was absolutely mesmerized watching it move — slowly, gently, like it had all the time in the world.
Moments like this remind me how complex and creative nature really is.
Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.😍

This is my entry for the #monomad challenge.

@ladytruckview

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**This post is based on my own experience and original photography. AI was used for grammar correction and for supporting the translation process

STOCK PHOTOS:

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