Fourth Grade
Worksheets
How Do Jellyfish Move?
Jellyfish. They seem to just be there - bobbing in the water like beachgoers on colorful inflated rafts. Just floating.
But jellyfish actually do have a way of moving on their own. They use it in combination with floating on the current. It is a simple method that has worked well for the jellies for many years.
Jellies are mostly water - over ninety-five percent, in fact. So floating with the ocean current is easy for them. A jelly can float for miles and miles.
Sometimes floating is all they need to do. Jellyfish don't chase down their prey like many other creatures do. They just float along, waiting for a meal to come to them. And meals do come their way. With their nearly clear bodies that blend into the water and their slow movements, jellies are almost invisible to the sea life around them.
When microscopic creatures swim by, the jelly just scoops them into the mouth in the main section of its body called the bell. When larger creatures like fish swim by, the jelly grabs them with a tentacle. So meals are easy.
