Plastic Jellyfish (Jellies) - Five Species

There are five different species of these delightful and fun plastic jellyfish. From left to right in the photo, they are mastigias jellyfish, moon jelly, hula hoop jellyfish, purple striped jellyfish, and the Portuguese Man-of-War.

The mastigias jellyfish is the only one of our plastic jellyfish that floats, because it can trap enough air to stay on top of the water. The hula hoop jellyfish (center) has a purple top rather than blue, otherwise the colors are very accurate.

Each jellyfish is about two inches across. These are wonderful for school dioramas, party favors, collectors of aquatic life, and are very sturdy so they can be used as toys for kids as well. Each plastic jellyfish has its name stamped in small print on the float or tentacles. All are made of flexible plastic and enhanced with paint. Be sure to look over our other jelly toys and gifts.

The mastigias jellyfish lives in the The Republic of Palau, a chain of islands southeast of the Philippines. Here, in "Jellyfish Lake" the mastigias became trapped over time, and began to incorporate algae into their bodies (note the green color of the plastic jellyfish). The mastigias jellyfish migrates around the lake during each day to take advantage of the sunlight to manufacture its own food. In 1998 the jellyfish in this lake were nearly wiped out by hot water and high tides brough by El Niņo, but they made an amazing come-back. Our moon jellyfish also lives in this lake.

Purple Striped Jellyfish are found along the California coast. They are named for their deep-purple bands on a silvery white background. It is best to keep your distance from this fairly large (up to 3 feet in diameter) jellyfish because it has a painful, but not fatal, sting.