Learn about a jellyfish that can go from adult back to baby. Scientists think this type of jellyfish can go back and forth between the two as many times as it wants. It can live forever!
One type of jellyfish might be able to live forever! Scientists call this type of jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula. Normally, an adult jellyfish lives just a few months. But an adult Turritopsis can turn itself into a polyp! The polyp can produce new jellyfish. These jellyfish grow into adults, and the adults can change back into polyps again. Turritopsis is the only animal people know of that can reverse its life cycle!
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Making Connections
Text-to-Self
Which is your favorite step in the jellyfish life cycle? Why?
Text-to-Text
Have you read other books about sea animals? How are these sea animals similar to and different from jellyfish?
Text-to-World
Just one polyp can become a strobila and make many medusas. How does this help these jellyfish survive over time?