Jellyfish are cnidarians, a phylum which also includes corals and sea anemones. Jellyfish are a specific lifecycle stage of medusozoans (their own subphylum), while corals and sea anemones are anthozoans (another subphylum of Cnidaria).

So yup, they are polyps before sexual maturity. And you’ll find they’re more closely related to corals than they are to members of any other phylum.

Edit: I highly recommend that anyone who wants to get lost in the world of marine invertebrates check out WoRMS and then follow along in parallel on Wikipedia as you navigate the tree.

This graphic is going counterclockwise and I didn’t enjoy that. On the other hand, neat.

There is a species of jellyfish which is functionally immortal. When they get too old they simply turn into children again and re-age.

Edit: I’m not saying it’s not biologically immortal, I’m saying functionally immortal because I’m indicating that it can still be killed.

Saying something doesn’t experience aging is not the same as insisting it cannot die.

2+2=4 is not less correct because 2x2 also equals 4.

The proud moment in every jellyfish’s life when the buds come in.

Well, it’s wild, but there’s not a lot of fuck in it.

In stasis, it bends but won’t break us
Aurelia, majestic as a lion’s roar embodies her
Terranean, threaten and shield us
Endanger, recoil and rewind the tapes
She’s born again
[…]
Medusa, a haunting allure
Elusive ectoplasmic residue
She’ll dance for you
Inducing hydro-cosmic dreams in you
Of eternal blue

They also track sunlight so you can predict where they will be at certain times in areas with shade. Example: more likely to be closer to eastern shores in the mornings, further out at night.

I don’t believe any single part of this, it just can’t be true