Upside-down jellyfish congregate around Lido Key

If you’ve been snorkeling or wading around Lido Key this past spring, you may have noticed some odd, cauliflower-like animals on the bay bottom. These are a type of jellyfish called the upside-down jellyfish (or Cassiopea species). As the name suggests, these creatures usually don’t swim in open water like most other jellyfish. Instead, Cassiopea spend their adult lives on the seafloor with their “arms” facing upward.