Marine Life Cruises

BirdsCruise EquipmentFishInvertebratesMammalsPlanktonBack

	Comb Jelly (ctenophore) This is often mistaken for a jellyfish, but a comb jelly cannot sting (except one species). Its sticky tentacles are used like flypaper to catch plankton.

Copepod
This is the most abundant type of plankton in New England waters. It can propel itself up to 500 times its body length in less than a second and is the main food for many larger animals in the sea.

Crab Megalops
This is the third stage of the crab life cycle. It will soon turn into an adult and will no longer be considered plankton.

Crab Zoea
This is the second stage of the crab life cycle. It has a spike on top of its head for protection.

Hydromedusa
This jellyfish-like animal is not a jellyfish. It is the reproductive stage of the hydroid, which spends its adult life attached to a rock or shell.This is a prime example of alternation of generations.