Fun and Games

Aurelia Aurita - Moon Jelly

jellyfish1

Background Information

Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

© jellyfish1

Moon jelly, or Aurelia aurita, are probably the most common and widely recognized type of jellyfish. They can be found in the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans near the coasts. The animal ranges in size from 5cm to 40cm across. The moon jelly is easily recognizable by its four violet or pink crescent shaped  gonads on the underside and at the centre of its translucent bell or umbrella. Also, its bell is thicker towards the middle, thinning towards the edge. Like many other species of jellyfish, the moon jelly’s ability to move by itself is limited, so it is subjected to the water currents of the ocean,

 

Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

© jellyfish1

Aurelia aurita has two main stages in its life cycle – the polyp stage (asexual reproduction) and the medusa stage (sexual reproduction).  A mature polyp reproduces asexually, known as budding  forming an entire colony of polyps. Polyps specializing in reproduction produce ephyra (small medusae) by budding. The medusae swim off and mature. They then reproduce sexually. From the egg and the sperm of two medusae, a zygote is formed. The zygote develops into a planula (larva). The planula larva leaves the adult medusae, finds a shaded surface, and attaches itself to it. The planula eventually develops into a new polyp, and the life cycle of the Aurelia aurita starts again.

 

Game Description

The above information gives a brief overview of the Moon Jelly. This board game will then, through trivia questions, teach more about the Moon Jelly - general information, habitat, body system, and life cycle. 

Game Instructions

Objective

Be the first player to move your four “jellyfish” (game pieces) once around the entire track and into your finish circles

Game Materials

Note: all images: © jellyfish1

Playing the Game

  1. Each player chooses a corner of the game board and the four pieces corresponding to the colour of that corner.
     
  2. The player who rolls the highest number starts the game. The player to the starter's left is next to roll.

  3. Each player must roll a six in order to move each game piece from the “home” circles to the “start” circle.

  4. The pieces are moved clockwise (to the left) around to game board according to the number rolled.

  5. After each roll, to determine whether or not the player will get to move a piece, the player must answer a trivia question of a certain category depending on the colour the game piece is being moved into.
             Red: General Information
             Green: Habitat and Food
             Yellow: Body System/Parts
             Blue: Life Cycle
    If the player does not answer the question correctly, the game piece may not be moved.

  6. If a player’s “jellyfish” is moved into a circle already occupied by an opponent, the opponent’s piece must be returned to the “home” circles to start again.

  7. If a player has more than one piece on the  board (out of the “home” circles), any piece may be moved.

  8. When each piece has been moved around the board once, it must enter the “finish” circles (marked one, two, three, four). The corresponding numbers must be rolled to move the pieces into the circles (i.e. a one must be rolled to move a piece into the circle marked “one”.

  9. To move into these circles, trivia questions under the “Miscellaneous” category must be answered correctly.

  10. A player may choose not to move any pieces if it is decided that the number rolled will not be beneficial.

Winning

   
The winner is the first player to get all four “jellyfish” into the “finish” circles of the pieces’ colour.

Information on the Internet

  • Wikipedia:  information about the moon jelly collected from various sources
  • ARKive:  includes movies, images and information about various species (including the moon jelly)
  • Marine Biology:  has information on and images of all things marine
  • Sea Science:  general information about jellyfish with brief overviews of some specific species
  • Animal Diversity Web:  contains information such as habitat, feeding and behaviour of the moon jelly

References

Buddin, Elizabeth. Sea Science. September 23rd, 2005. < http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/pub/seascience/jellyfi.html >.

Campbell, Neil A. and Jane B. Reece. Biology. San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings, 2005.

Heard, J.R. Marine Life Information Network for Britain & Ireland. October 7th, 2004. October 2nd, 2005. < http://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/Aureliaaurita.htm >.

Marine Biology. October 4th, 2005. < http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=231 >.

Oceanside Meadows Institute for the Arts and Sciences. October 9th, 2005. < http://www.oceaninn.com/guides/cnidarians.htm >.

Rodriguez, Roberto. Animal Diversity Web. October 9th, 2005. < http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Aurelia_aurita.html >.

Wikipedia. September 29th, 2005. September 30th, 2005. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_Jelly >.

Learning Information

About This Page

Author: jellyfish1
Classroom Project: Jellyfish
Havergal College
Toronto, Ontario Canada

License: Tree of Life & Partners uses only - Version 1.0

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to , Havergal College

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