Fact Friday

Golden jellyfish

These are no ordinary jellyfish. The golden jellyfish in Palau’s Jellyfish Lake move together in a daily migration that follows the sun from one side of this marine lake to the other. Just like coral, these jellyfish have symbiotic algae, called zooxanthellae, living in their tissues. The zooxanthellae photosynthesize and then share nutrients with the jellyfish, which it needs to survive. Once the sun goes down, the jellyfish migrate back to the other side of the lake where they begin the cycle all over again the next morning.

Photo Credit: ©ILCP/Keith Ellenbogen

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October 20, 2023

Sea Turtle

Sea turtles can hold their breath for 4-7 hours while sleeping and resting. How do they do it? Sea turtles are reptiles; like humans, they breathe air. They cannot breathe underwater. When a sea turtle is inactive, its metabolism and heartbeat “slows down,” which decreases the amount of oxygen it uses in its blood. Sea turtles can slow their heartbeat so that it only beats once every nine minutes! For comparison, the human heart beats an average of 80 times in one minute. One breath from the surface can go a long way for these amazing animals.

Photo Credit: Ken Marks