‘Only One of Its Kind’ Jellyfish Museum Astounds Visitors With Awe-Inspiring Displays of Sea Nettles Safely Behind Glass

A new museum has opened in the city of Pompano Beach, Florida, dedicated to a single ancient creature: jellyfish. The Jellyfish Museum was founded this spring by a couple with previous aquarium experience, but on the other side of the world. Founders Alex and Yana Yanovsky developed aquariums in Ukraine and opened a jellyfish museum in the capital, according to the ’ David Fischer.

The Russia-Ukraine war, however, forced the couple to flee, Jessica Eisenbarth, a manager at the Jellyfish Museum, tells the outlet. The Jellyfish Museum features up to 25 species of the elegant invertebrates, including both cold-water and warm-water species, as well as immersive 3D projections and a mini laboratory, per the museum’s website. Of the facility’s nearly 10,000 square feet, more than 6,000 consists of exhibition space, according to a Pompano Beach statement describing the museum as “the only one of its kind in the United States.” It was while in Ukraine that the Yanovskys noted the particular attention aquarium-goers paid to the jellyfish tanks, according to the Washington Post’s Sydney Page.

While they lack a brain, they maintain a simple nerve net that allows them to respond to their environment. Their movement is mesmerizing, almost meditative and they play an important role in marine ecosystems.” Fun facts: How many different species of jellyfish are there? Jellyfish have been around for longer than the dinosaurs—approximately 700 million years.

They are 95 percent water and five percent collagen, and their 2,000 or so species include some astounding characteristics. For example, a mature Turritopsis dohrnii can go back to the earlier polyp stage. In fact, the species is dubbed the “immortal jellyfish.

Lion’s mane jellyfish, on the other hand, is the largest jellyfish species. The largest member of its kind known to scientists was measured at 120 feet from head (bell) to toe (tentacle). They are not like anything else.” Hundreds of miles north of the museum, beach visitors are meeting jellyfish in a much less pleasant manner, with more than 2,000 sting reports in early August.

For much of the summer, jellies have plagued tourists to the Maryland and Delaware shores, mostly due to warmer ocean temperatures, says marine biologist Ellen Prager to WJLA’s Veronica Johnson. Another factor could be decreased populations of jellyfish-eating animals like certain fish and sea turtles.” Recent reports indicate the sea nettle swarms have begun to dissipate, according to the Baltimore Sun. But back in Florida, the Jellyfish Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and no need to worry about stings.