Comb Jelly phylum Ctenophora

Comb Jellies are gelatinous marine creatures but are not closely related to jellyfish: they are a different phylum - Ctenophora (Jellyfish are Cnidaria together with anemones and corals). Both have been around in a similar form for hundreds of millions of years. There are some 100-200 known species including some from deep water not yet described by science and some duplicates; there may be many yet unknown.

Some are bioluminescent. All are carnivorous, one partly parasitic and one preying on other comb jellies, the others eat zooplankton (microscopic to fish eggs, larger larvae and krill). Compared to jellyfish, comb jellies have a simple life cycle. Most are hermaphrodites able to release eggs and sperm.