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Animal profile

Golden Jellyfish

Mastigias papua

ScyphozoaMarine lakes and sheltered coastal lagoons of the western Pacific

Field profile

Mastigias papua is a spotted lagoon jellyfish that carries symbiotic algae in its tissues. An isolated population in Palau's Ongeim'l Tketau, widely called Jellyfish Lake, migrates across the lake each day. That population has lost much of its spotting.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-09-04

Golden Jellyfish

Palau's golden jellyfish commute with the sun

The population in Palau's marine lake crosses the basin each day, tracking sunlight eastward in the morning and westward in the afternoon. The journey feeds the algae in their tissues and keeps the jellyfish away from the anemones on the shaded shores.

Read with evidence →

Golden Jellyfish | Daily Animal Facts