Animal profile

Venus's Girdle

Cestum veneris

TentaculataWarm open-ocean surface and near-surface water

Field profile

Venus's girdle is a ctenophore flattened and elongated into a transparent ribbon that can exceed a metre in length. It swims with an undulating motion quite unlike other comb jellies. It is nearly invisible in open water.

Published field notes

2024-12-26

Venus's Girdle

Venus's girdle is a comb jelly stretched sideways

The metre-long transparent ribbon is a ctenophore whose body has been extended enormously along one axis and compressed along another. The comb rows still run along its edges, so the animal shimmers down its whole length.

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