Jellies

Below are the jellies I’ve been lucky to find washed ashore on the northern Oregon beaches I’ve visited. I loosely use the organization followed by Lamb and Hanby (2005), common names are my choice, and all photos are from northern Oregon unless noted. Experts cover the jellies shown below and many more in the resources listed at the bottom of this page.

Let the jellies be upon you!

Lion’s mane

Most of the references listed at the bottom of this page below refer to our lion’s manes as Cyanea capillata, but C. ferruginea seems to be in favor. Either way, it’s an impressive jellyfish.

I open this entry with a pair of images from quieter shores where lion’s manes seem to be more abundant than on the exposed Oregon beaches I usually visit.

Looking down from a pier on a lion's mane Cyanea ferruginea floating near the surface.
Look for an eight-lobed bell | Orcas Island
Lion's mane, Cyanea ferruginea floating in shallow quiet water over a gravel substrate.
Beached on a Mayne Island shore


On exposed northern Oregon shores, you’re more likely to encounter tideline fragments than whole jellies, and even fragments aren’t too abundant most years.

Lion's mane Cyanea ferruginea fragment resting upside down on the sand.
Subumbrella (underside) with radial muscle strands
Lion's mane Cyanea ferruginea fragment resting on the sand.
The same individual flipped over by the swash


Beached lion’s manes and fragments seemed pretty abundant by fall of 2023 and seemed to remained abundant over summer and fall, 2024.

Lion's mane Cyanea ferruginea fragment resting on the sand.
Lion's mane Cyanea ferruginea fragment resting on the sand.
***


Phacellophora camtschatica Fried egg

I come across beached fried egg jellies only infrequently, and finding an intact or nearly intact specimen is a rarity. Dead and stranded on the shore, they might be confused with lion’s manes, but I think the examples shown below have more fried egg characteristics. No guarantees, though.

Closeup of a beached fried egg jellyfish Phacellophora camtschatica resting on the sand.
Fried egg Phacellophora camtschatica
Closeup of a beached fried egg jellyfish Phacellophora camtschatica resting on the sand.
Also goes by egg-yolk
Closeup of most of a beached fried egg jellyfish Phacellophora camtschatica resting on the sand.
Broken yolk
Closeup of a beached fried egg jellyfish Phacellophora camtschatica resting on the sand.
It’s one of the good-sized jellfishes
***


Chrysaora fuscescens Pacific sea nettle

Sea nettles are among the biggest and most common jellyfishes stranded on northern Oregon beaches. I’ve included several examples because freshly beached sea nettles will give you a lot of looks. (I think the examples below are all C. fuscescens, but it’s not a certainty with long-range drifters.)

Closeup of a beached Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens resting on the sand.
Closeup of a beached Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens resting on the sand.
Closeup of a beached Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens resting on the sand.
Closeup of a beached Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens resting on the sand.
Closeup of a beached Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens resting on the sand.
Closeup of a beached Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens resting on the sand.
Closeup of a beached Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens resting on the sand.
Closeup of a beached Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens resting on the sand.
Closeup of most of a beached Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens resting on the sand.
Closeup of a beached Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens resting on the sand.
Closeup of a beached Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens resting on the sand.

Alas, fragmented and tumbled remains are more common.

Closeup of a Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens fragment resting on the sand.
Closeup of a Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens fragment resting on the sand.
Closeup of a Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens fragment resting on the sand.
Closeup of a Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens fragment resting on the sand.
Closeup of two Pacific sea nettle jellyfish Chrysaora fuscescens fragments resting on the sand.
***

Chrysaora colorata Purple-striped sea nettle

An uncommon find in the northern Oregon drift line, purple-striped sea nettles usually have a limited range around Monterey Bay, California. However, I came across two near Cannon Beach, Oregon, in the spring of 2017.

Beached purple-striped sea nettle Chrysaora colorata rests on the sand.
Beached purple-striped sea nettle Chrysaora colorata rests on the sand.
***


Aurelia labiata Moon jelly

Moon jellies, along with sea nettles Chrysaora fuscescens (above), are common large jellies frequently found cast up on northern Oregon beaches. Beached moons have a translucent look and often have a pink cast.

Look for four roundish gonads that can be, and often are, a beautiful purple color.

Closeup of a beached moon jelly Aurelia labiata resting on the sand. Four horseshoe-shaped gonads are visible.
A closeup of a beached moon jelly Aurelia labiata resting on the sand. Purple gonads.


Beached moon jellies can add some pink to a walk on the shore.

In the foreground, a beached moon jelly Aurelia labiata resting on the sand. In the background, the beach and a seascape with a sea stack and headlands. Mostly cloudy sky.
View south
In the foreground, a beached moon jelly Aurelia labiata resting on the sand. In the background, the beach and a headland with cliffs. Mostly cloudy sky.
View north
A closeup of a beached moon jelly Aurelia labiata resting on the sand.


A few more moons

Closeup of a beached moon jelly Aurelia labiata resting on the sand.
Closeup of a beached moon jelly Aurelia labiata resting on the sand.
Closeup of a beached moon jelly Aurelia labiata resting on the sand.
Closeup of a beached moon jelly Aurelia labiata resting on the sand.
Closeup of a beached moon jelly Aurelia labiata resting on the sand.
Beached moon jelly Aurelia labiata resting in the swash. In the background, the mirror and wash zone. Cloudy sky.
Closeup of a beached moon jelly Aurelia labiata resting on the sand.
Closeup of a beached moon jelly Aurelia labiata resting on the sand.


When moon jellies are present, there will be fragments cast about.

Closeup of a beached moon jelly Aurelia labiata fragment resting on the sand. Surf zone in the background. Clear sky.
Closeup of a moon jelly Aurelia labiata fragment resting on the sand. A bit of sea foam shares the scene.
Closeup of a moon jelly Aurelia labiata fragment resting on the sand.
Closeup of a moon jelly Aurelia labiata fragment resting on the cobbles.
Closeup of a moon jelly Aurelia labiata fragment resting on the sand.
Moon jelly Aurelia labiata fragment resting on the sand. A few drift surfgrass blades share the scene.
Closeup of a moon jelly Aurelia labiata fragment resting on the sand.
Moon jelly Aurelia labiata fragment resting on the sand. A drifted eelgrass blade shares the scene.


Beach cast moon jellies afford beach hoppers an opportunity to get right to their work.

Beached moon jelly Aurelia labiata resting on the sand. Beach hopper workings around the margin.
***


Aequorea Crystal jelly, Water jelly, Crystal jelly

When Aequorea is around and getting washed ashore, there’s a decent chance you’ll find some more or less intact specimens.

The radial canals lay out like spokes on a bicycle wheel.

Closeup on a beached crystal jelly Aequorea floating in a clear glass bowl.


The Aequorea bell is stunningly clear (note the see-through center of this one), so it’s easy to understand the names crystal and water jelly.

Closeup on a beached crystal jelly Aequorea resting on the sand.


The looks of beached Aequorea

Washed up crystal jelly Aequorea on wet sand.
Reflections on wet sand of the forest above, and the sun, sky, and a little white cloud
Beached crystal jelly Aequorea resting on wet sand.
Closeup of a beached crystal jelly Aequorea resting on wet sand.
Closeup of a beached crystal jelly Aequorea resting on wet sand.
***


Stranded red-eye medusas, probably Polyorchis penicillatus, can be abundant, but they aren’t easily noticeable outside the swash zone. To get a good view, float them in a finger bowl (image on the right), or be creative and float it in the bottom of an upside-down half-pint canning jar (image on the left).

A little bell jelly, probably Polyorchis penicillatus floating in the bottom of an upside down half-pint jar
A little bell jelly, probably Polyorchis penicillatus
A little bell jelly, probably Polyorchis penicillatus floating in a clear glass finger bowl.
Polyorchis | A fairly common find in the fresh drift
***


Halimedusa typus

Well, I think that’s what these little medusas are. I recall seeing them only in October 2022, when they washed ashore in large numbers. The iNaturalist page for Halimedusa typus shows a few other examples.

Closeup of a single small jelly, probably Halimedusa typus, resting in the swash zone.
Halimedusa typus stranded in the swash zone
Several small jellies, probably Halimedusa typus, floating in a finger bowl.
Floating in a finger bowl
***


Velella velella By-the-wind sailor

Freshly arrived rafts of by-the-wind sailors are engrossing and a sight of beauty in the swash.

In the foreground, a raft of freshly beached by-the-wind sailors Velella velella resting, sail up, in the mirror. In the mid ground a headland and intertidal rocks, In the distance, the surf zone and a sea stack. Cloudy sky.


Beached Velella velella are an out-of-place curiosity, but it’s not too hard to imagine them sailing on the open ocean.

Closeup of a single freshly beached by-the-wind sailor Velella velella resting, sail up, on the sand.
Closeup of a single freshly beached by-the-wind sailor Velella velella resting, sail up, on the sand.
Closeup of a single freshly beached by-the-wind sailor Velella velella resting, sail up, on the sand.


The wavy interface between raindrop dimpled sand and stranded Velella velella at the tip top of the tide

Closeup of the patterns at the top of the tide. Lower portion of the frame is filled by small, densely packed by-the-wind sailor Velella velella, the upper portion of the frame is bare sand dimpled by raindrops.


Even in a scene of death, freshly beached Velella are a lovely and enchanting wrack line discovery.

Freshly beached by-the-wind sailors Velella velella washed way up in the cobbles among some terrestrial material (twigs, driftwood fragments).
Incomparable shades of blue


When the beauty fades, cellophane-like skeletons remain (top two panels). In a sustained beachcast event there’ll be a mix of fresh and bleached sailors in the drift (bottom panel).

Cellophane-like remains of by-the-wind sailors Velella velella resting on the sand at the top of the tide line. 15 cm rule for scale.
The beauty fades fast
Closeup of the cellophane-like remains of a single by-the-wind sailor Velella velella resting on the sand.
Cellophane-like skeleton
A mix of freshly beached by-the-wind sailors Velella velella and older bleached cellophane-like skeletons resting on the sand.
A mix of fresh and bleached sailors


When incalculable numbers of beached sailors arrive on the shore, it can get a little messy. When it does, expect the pungent odor of decay.

A layer of small beached by-the-wind-sailors Velella velella coats the cobble zone.
Commercial buoy washed up on the beach amid a stranding of tiny by-the-wind sailors Vellela vellela. Surf zone and headland in the distance.
***


References

Gotshall, D. W. 2005. Guide to Marine Invertebrates, Alaska to Baja California 2nd Edition (Revised). Shoreline Press.

Harbo, R. M. 2011. Whelks to Whales: Coastal Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest. 2nd ed. Harbour Publishing Co.

Kozloff, E. N. 1993. Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast. 3rd ed. University of Washington Press.

Lamb, A. and B. P. Hanby. 2005. Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest. Harbour Publishing.

Sept. J. D. 2019. The New Beachcomber’s Guide to the Pacific Northwest. Harbour Publishing.


Online Resources

Friends of Netarts Bay WEBS’ Hydroids, Jellies, Sea Anemones and Comb Jellies. Accessed January 27, 2025.

It’s worth scrolling down to Cnidaria in Common Sea Life of Southeastern Alaska: A field guide by Aaron Baldwin & Paul Norwood. Accessed January 27, 2025.


Species Accounts

Cowles, D. (2004). Velella velella (Linnaeus, 1758). Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory. Accessed January 28, 2025.

Cowles, D. (2006 as edited). Aurelia labiata (Linnaeus, 1758). Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory. Accessed January 28, 2025.

Cowles, D. (2006). Aequorea victoria (Murbach and Shearer, 1902). Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory. Accessed January 28, 2025.

Cowles, D. (2006). Polyorchis penicillatus (Eschscholtz, 1829). Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory. Accessed January 28, 2025.

Cowles, D. (2007). Cyanea capillata (Linnaeus, 1758). Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory. Accessed January 27, 2025.

Cowles, D. (2010). Chrysaora fuscensens Brandt, 1835. Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory. Accessed January 28, 2025.

Piazzola, C.D. 2015. Aequorea victoria. In: Oregon Estuarine Invertebrates: Rudys’ Illustrated Guide to Common Species, 3rd ed. T.C. Hiebert, B.A. Butler and A.L. Shanks (eds.). University of Oregon Libraries and Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, Charleston, OR. Accessed January 28, 2025.

Piazzola, C.D. and L. Hiebert. 2015. Polyorchis penicillatus. In: Oregon Estuarine Invertebrates: Rudys’ Illustrated Guide to Common Species, 3rd ed. T.C. Hiebert, B.A. Butler and A.L. Shanks (eds.). University of Oregon Libraries and Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, Charleston, OR. Accessed January 28, 2025.

Smith, C. R. 2002. Phacellophora camtschatica  (Brant, 1835). Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory. Accessed January 28, 2025.


I updated this page on February 7, 2025.