Mertensia ovum
Distribution:
Alaska to Mexico
Habitat:
Planktonic, near shore.
Size:
Up to 15 mm.
Diet:
Copepods, larval fish, various types of eggs, and small crustaceans.
Predators:
Sea turtles, fish, other ctenophores.
Useful Facts or Characters:
It is not a jellyfish. Transparent body; the body shape is oblong to spherical and slightly flattened.
Natural History:
Seasonally one of the important predators of zooplankton in California waters; common in aggregations.