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Animal profile

Upside-down Jellyfish

Cassiopea andromeda

ScyphozoaShallow sheltered lagoons, mangrove channels and seagrass flats

Field profile

Cassiopea andromeda rests bell-down on soft sediment with its frilled oral arms turned towards the surface. It carries symbiotic algae in those arms. From above, a group looks more like a bed of small anemones or seaweed than jellyfish.

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

2026-08-19

Upside-down Jellyfish

The upside-down jellyfish lies down to farm sunlight

Cassiopea settles bell-first on the seabed and points its arms upward because those arms are packed with symbiotic algae. The posture is not distress or stranding: it is a sun-facing arrangement that lets photosynthesis supply a large share of the animal's energy.

Read with evidence →

Upside-down Jellyfish | Daily Animal Facts