Aurelia aurita

The moon jelly is one of the jellies most often found washed up on the sand: a clear, dinner-plate-sized disc with four clover-shaped gonads showing through the bell like petals. Its tentacles are only a short fringe, and its sting is very mild or goes unnoticed, so it is a good animal to learn on. Its life cycle is the classic jellyfish story. Larvae settle on or near the seafloor and grow into tiny polyps, which can bud new polyps and later release baby jellies called ephyrae that grow into the drifting adults. One settled larva can therefore become many jellyfish.