Moon jellyfish

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New Horizons sea creatures

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New Horizons sea creatures
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Moon jellyfish
Image gallery
Real-world info
Name: Aurelia aurita Family: Ulmaridae
Main appearances
DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
Film HHD aF PC
Names in other languages  ミズクラゲ  海月水母  Méduse lune  Medusa luna  Medusa aurelia  Ушастая аурелия  보름달물해파리  海月水母  Méduse lune  Medusa luna  Ohrenqualle  Oorkwal

The moon jellyfish (known as the jellyfish prior to New Horizons) is a critter in the Animal Crossing series introduced in Doubutsu no Mori+. In games prior to Animal Crossing: New Leaf, it is a fish, and in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it is a sea creature.

Prior to New Leaf, the jellyfish is unique in that it has the shortest availability of any fish, only being available in August from the 16th through the 31st. While not catchable in New Leaf, jellyfish appear as obstacles while swimming that stun the player if swam into. In New Horizons, it returns as a catchable sea creature, now called the moon jellyfish, appearing all day long as a small, very slow shadow from mid summer to early fall.

Catch details

In Animal Crossing

#36

"I caught a jellyfish! I wonder how it would taste on some toast..."

DnM / iQue

DnM+

AC

DnMe+

Time of year	Aug 16 – 31
Time of day	All day
Location	Sea
Shadow size	Medium
Selling price	100 Bells
Feng shui	None
Furniture size

In Wild World

#37

"I caught a jellyfish! I'm in some kind of jam!"

Description	These plankton have a vicious sting!
Time of year	Aug 16 – 31
Time of day	All day
Peak times	N/A
Location	Sea
Shadow size	Small
Fish size	25 cm
Selling price	100 Bells
Furniture size

In City Folk

#39

"I caught a jellyfish! Now all I need is a peanut-butter fish."

Description	Watch out for the second sting of this type of plankton!
Time of year	Aug 16 – 31
Time of day	All day
Peak times	N/A
Location	Sea
Shadow size	Small
Fish size	About 10 in.
Selling price	100 Bells
Furniture size

In New Horizons

As with all sea creatures in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the moon jellyfish was added in the 1.3.0 Free Summer Update (Wave 1).

#9

"I got a moon jellyfish! Now to find a sun peanutbutterfish."

Time of year	North: Jul – Sep South: Jan – Mar
Time of day	All day
Shadow size	Small
Shadow movement	Very slow
Spawn requirement	Appears from the start of the game
Selling price	600 Bells
Furniture size

Donating to the museum

As with all fish, bugs, and sea creatures in the Animal Crossing series, the moon jellyfish can be donated to the museum by talking to Blathers. He will tell the player the following upon donation:

In Animal Crossing

"Jellyfish and other gelatinous creatures are some of the ocean's most beautiful animal life. Some of them do pack a painful sting, but you'll be fine if you observe them from a respectful distance. Now than, let's get this one squared away in it's new home, eh wot?"

In Wild World

"You can actually find these in restaurants, though which ones I do not know. Jellyfish can grow to be almost three feet long, did you know that?! That crunchy texture... It takes rather an open mind to enjoy, eh wot?"

In City Folk

"...Hoo, are you aware that the jellyfish is completely without bones? There's a legend that says the jellyfish had bones long ago, but they were taken away by a sea deity. ...Yes, the reason was that the jellyfish was quite the gossip and was eventually punished for it... Getting boneless... Rather a stiff punishment, eh wot?"

The jellyfish appears in the museum's right circular tank. It just hovers in the same place, occasionally jumping forward a bit.

In New Horizons

When donating to the museum, Blathers will say the following:

"Ah, the moon jellyfish...what's not to love about this pretty floating flower of the sea... Well, I suppose its tentacles do give a sting when touched...but it's only a mild thing to the likes of us. Other creatures may not be so fond of this translucent beauty. Though who can blame them, really? Moon jellyfish have stinging cells called cnidocytes that kill fish and other small critters that float by. And they use their "oral arms" to pull these morsels into their mouths and stomachs. Indeed, one need but observe the moon jellyfish to see how brutal AND beautiful nature can be."

After being donated, it will be visible in a large swarm under a floorglass by the sea butterfly's tank.

Fishing Tourney

In City Folk

During a Fishing Tourney, when given a Jellyfish, Chip will say the following:

"I've heard of jellyfish being used in Chinese food, but it's also great in burritos! Nyuuuk nyuk nyuk nyuk!"

Gallery

For more images, view this subject's gallery.

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  Animal Crossing

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  Animal Crossing: Wild World

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  Animal Crossing: City Folk

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  Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Real-world information

A real-life moon jellyfish

The moon jellyfish is almost entirely translucent, usually about 25–40 cm (10–16 in) in diameter. It feeds by collecting medusae, plankton, and mollusks with its tentacles, and bringing them into its body for digestion. It is capable of only limited motion, and drifts with the current, even when swimming.
More information on this topic is available at Wikipedia.

Names in other languages

	ミズクラゲ mizu-kurage	Moon jellyfish, lit. "water jellyfish"
	보름달물해파리 boreumdalmulhaepari	Moon jellyfish, lit. "moon water jellyfish"
	海月水母 hǎiyuè shuǐmǔ	Moon jellyfish, lit. "sea moon jellyfish"
	Ушастая аурелия Ushastaya aureliya	Moon jellyfish, lit. "big-eared Aurelia"
	Oorkwal	Moon jellyfish, lit. "ear jellyfish"
	Ohrenqualle	Moon jellyfish, lit. "ear jellyfish"
	Medusa luna	Moon jellyfish
	Méduse lune	Moon jellyfish
	Medusa aurelia	Aurelia jellyfish