CIRCLEVILLE – Yes, we have jellyfish in Circleville. Yes, freshwater jellyfish are a thing. They are very much like the saltwater species that most people know and love. These jellyfish are not native to Ohio, they are an invasive species that scientists think hitchhiked from Chinese ornamental plants.
How though you may ask, jellyfish have life cycles that enable them to stay dormant in a dry location for a period of time, then when water contacts them again the life cycle continues.
When Jellyfish reproduce the babies, called zygotes, attach themselves to rocks, tree roots or whatever watery substrate they can find. When the conditions are correct, they form a polyp, the free-floating creature you usually see.
Jellyfish are mostly made up of water their bodies are made up of a fragile cell membrane. They feed by capturing free-floating debris and coming in contact with small creatures and plant materials floating in the water.
These freshwater jellies are not dangerous to humans; the nematocyst stingers are not long enough to penetrate human skin. Recently Todd’s Scuba and Circleville Dive Center was able to catch a video of a jellyfish in the rock quarry on 23 on the North Side of Circleville.
