Medusa -- at the California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium Hand Towel

Chrysaora fuscescens, the Pacific Sea Nettle, gets its name from Greek mythology - Chrysaor was the son of Poseidon and Medusa. The familiar shape seen here is called the medusa stage, the adult form of the jellyfish. Life for some Sea Nettle begins when males release sperm into the water where females will catch it and fertilize her eggs. The eggs drift to the bottom and attach to hard surfaces. They develop into small polyps that lie dormant through the winter. In spring and summer life begins for other Sea Nettles when identical copies of the polyps grow from the original's side, and when those are fully formed they are released into the ocean. These polyps develop into medusa stage jellies, where they drift in the ocean catching passing zooplankton, crustaceans, small fish, and so on in their stinging tentacles.

I have been photographing the things I see for over thirty years. A resident of San Luis Obispo County, I'm lucky to have many excellent photo destinations within a few minutes' or hours' drive. Beyond the local area, I have traveled throughout California and the western United States, visited far away American destinations such as Chicago, New York, Florida, and Alaska, and international destinations in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. My photography varies from Architecture to Industrial Art to Nature to Wildlife and I'm sure you'll find something suitable for your home or office. Visit my blog