Fun Blue Button Jellyfish Facts For Kids

The blue button jellyfish (Porpita porpita) is an organism found floating and moving in the coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

The blue button jellyfish are small organisms known as polyps and are found in water bodies like seas. They depend on crustaceans and copepods for food and are generally hunted by sea slugs and sea snails. They are very small in size and are typically seen in yellow, blue, and turquoise colors.

This organism with polyps has only one mouth, which is situated beneath the float. These organisms have a hydroid colony that looks like tentacles when they extend completely. The status of these organisms with polyps is currently Not Evaluated. They are not completely dangerous, but their sting can cause irritation to human skin if it comes in physical contact. They have the ability to produce eggs and sperm on their own (they are hermaphrodites) and leave the eggs in the water, which then develop into young blue buttons.

If you liked reading about these facts about the blue button jellyfish, you could also check out some facts on the Irukandji jellyfish and moon jellyfish.

What type of animal is a blue button jellyfish?

The blue button jellyfish, as the name itself suggests, is not actually a jellyfish species. These are chondrophores found living on the surface of the sea. They are also known as Porpita porpita and have a hydroid colony that is known to extend to look like tentacles.

What class of animal does a blue button jellyfish ​belong to?

The blue button jellyfish (Porpita porpita) belongs to the class of Hydrozoans. These are jellyfish species that are found living on the coast and beach. Generally, they float on water in the direction of the wind. They depend on the wind to carry them to different places in the water.

How many blue button jellyfish are there in the world?

The exact number of living blue button jellyfish is not known. However, a sudden and rapid increase in their numbers has been reported – possibly due to rising temperatures due to climate change.

Where does a blue button jellyfish live?

The blue button is known to live in oceans and seas and ends up on the beach sand due to the wind. They love to float on the surface of the water as they are almost flat when it comes to their body shape. Even in deep water, they are found on the water surface. They are found in Indo-Pacific, Australian, and Atlantic Oceans.

What is a blue button jellyfish's habitat?

The habitat of the blue button includes the sea and ocean but are also found on the coast and beach as their movement is controlled by the wind when they float. The blue button is generally dependent on crustacean larvae and copepods.

Who do blue button jellyfish live with?

Blue button jellyfish – with the hydrozoan polyps – live in groups and can be seen on the beach and floating on water.

How long does a blue button jellyfish live?

The lifespan of the blue buttons – with their hydroid colonies – is not accurately known. But generally, they are said to have a long lifespan.

How do they reproduce?

The blue button jellyfish (Porpita porpita) are hermaphrodites i.e., they have both male and female sex organs and can produce eggs and sperm on their own. The mature polyps release eggs and sperm into the water, which fertilize on their own. After this, they turn into larvae which further develop into young polyps. The egg count is said to be under 100, and only the larvae that survive fertilization develop into adult polyps. The cycle then goes on.

What is their conservation status?

Porpita porpita, which has a hydroid colony, is a species whose status is Not Evaluated. These jellyfish are generally found in the Atlantic Ocean and on the coast. This species, however, has been rapidly increasing in numbers due to rising temperatures across the world.

What do blue button jellyfish look like?

*Please note that this is an image of a jellyfish, not a blue button jellyfish. If you have an image of a blue button jellyfish, please let us know at [email protected].

The Porpita porpita is golden-brown and is in the shape of a disc. They have hydroid colonies that extend and look like tentacles. The stinging cells at the end of branches are called nematocysts. The Porpita porpita is generally a blue, yellow, or turquoise color. It has a single mouth that is located below the float.

How cute are they?

These disc-shaped organisms with a single mouth are not cute but rather gross organisms found on the water coast and ocean. They are slimy and cannot be touched.

How do they communicate?

The Porpita porpita is known to live in colonies in the oceans and is known to communicate with its species with the help of pores. Apart from this, they communicate with actions too.

How big is a blue button jellyfish?

Blue button jellyfish (Porpita porpita) has an unknown bodyweight and a length of up to 1.1 in (3 cm). The Porpita porpita is about half the size of its predator, the sea slug.

How fast can a blue button jellyfish swim?

The Porpita porpita is a jellyfish species that are known to float on the surface of the sea. Their speed depends on the water and wind speed combined, which could be 8.9 mph (14 kph).

How much does a blue button jellyfish weigh?

The weight of the Porpita porpita is not known precisely, but they are light enough to float on the water surface.

What are the male and female names of the species?

The Porpita porpita is both male and female, so it doesn't have gender-specific names.

What would you call a baby blue button jellyfish?

The baby blue button does not have a specific name and is often referred to as the young blue button.

What do they eat?

The blue buttons (jellyfish) are carnivores and are known to feed on crustacean larvae and copepods. Violet sea snails and sea slugs predate these species of jellyfish.

Are they dangerous?

These organisms that live in colonies are not completely harmful but can cause irritation to human skin if they come in contact with the blue buttons (jellyfish).

Would they make a good pet?

No, this jellyfish with tentacles has stinging cells called nematocysts that are not completely lethal or harmful. Still, at the same time, when a human comes into physical contact with these blue button jellyfish, they can have irritation on their skin. Keeping blue buttons (jellyfish) as pets would not be the best choice.

Did you know...

Their hydroid colony includes the branches that are seen extending out and look like tentacles. They are blue, turquoise, or yellow, and each branch ends in knobs of the stinging cells called nematocysts.

These creatures do not swim deep like actual jellyfish; instead, they float with the water.

Its mouth also releases its bodily waste.

Is a blue button jellyfish poisonous?

No, a sting from a bright blue turquoise button jellyfish can cause irritation to the human skin but is not lethal, and these jellyfish do not cause any serious damage.

Do the blue button jellyfish sting?

Yes, the tentacles have will ultimately sting humans, but they are not lethal and will simply cause irritation.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other cnidarian from our barrel jellyfish facts and candy cane coral facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable blue button jellyfish coloring pages.