The Jellyfish Lake in the Miocene Reef

by TonyDasilva on February 19, 2013

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Jellyfish Lake is connected to the ocean through fissures and tunnels in the limestone of ancient Miocene reef.

However, the lake is sufficiently isolated and the conditions are different enough that the diversity of species in the lake is greatly reduced from the nearby lagoon. The golden jellyfish, Mastigias cf. papua etpisoni, and possibly other species in the lake have evolved to be substantially different from their close relatives living in the nearby lagoons. – Zack Travel

jellyfish lake 2 Amazing jellyfish lake

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Two species of scyphozoan jellyfish live in Jellyfish Lake, moon jellyfish and the golden jellyfish.

jellyfish lake 3 Amazing jellyfish lake

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jellyfish lake 4 Amazing jellyfish lake

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The moon jellyfish were identified as Aurelia aurita by Hamner.  Addition to the three species of Aurelia there are at least six other cryptic species in the Aurelia genus. Three of the cryptic species identified were from Palau. One of these cryptic species is common to four of Palau’s marine lakes with jellyfish populations including Jellyfish Lake.

jellyfish lake 5 Amazing jellyfish lake

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jellyfish lake 6 Amazing jellyfish lake

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jellyfish lake 8 Amazing jellyfish lake

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jellyfish lake 7 Amazing jellyfish lake

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Author Biography: TonyDasilva

Tony DaSilva handles the social media and events at Trailblazer. He's an avid mountain biker, tech connoisseur, writer, and ex-professional skateboarder, Tony holds a journalism degree from Southern Connecticut State University. He currently can be found living in New Haven, CT, and wandering the streets with an iced Americano in hand.

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