This summer, head to The National Aquarium at Al Qana, to see the new ‘Invasion’ exhibition which showcases sea nettles, UFO like moon jellies, upside down jellies that farm sunlight, and giant blubbers that are the long distance travellers of the Jellyfish family.
You'll be immersed in all different shapes and forms of Jellyfish which will be displayed in specialised aquariums that keep them in permanent aquatic suspension.
This unique display is only made possible through the expert marine biologists working behind the scenes at The National Aquarium, who have mastered the jellyfish life cycle within specialised breeding facilities.
The Science
The exhibition takes its name, Invasion, from a term often used when blooms of jellyfish appear suddenly and for no apparent reason. Science has discovered that this natural ‘surprise’ is indeed, all part of their master plan.
Jellyfish have a unique life cycle that includes a dormant phase when the plant-like creatures called ‘jellyfish polyps’ remain sediment on the seafloor. When something extreme happens in the ocean, such as a sudden temperature change, the polyps start firing out an army of clones. These genetically identical jellyfish clones, absent of brains and made of 98% water, swarm the beaches, often causing distress among the public.
The Invasion exhibition is held at The National Aquarium at Al Qana, Abu Dhabi and opens on Saturday 15 July 2023.
More information can be found at www.thenationalaquarium.ae