... will hold onto prey. Most species of jellyfish and anemones have nematocysts that will not harm humans, however some will. Alongside this, they use unique cnidocytes, or stinging cells, that give the phylum its name. The stinging cells can stun the prey before the Cnidarian species engulfs the prey in its body. The prey that is captured is passed into the gastrovascular cavity, a type of incomplete gut for digestion. By using various types of toxins, the Scyphozoans can stop motion in zooplankton prey like krill, copepods, larval fish and even other gelatinous animals. The long, thin tentacles (often not visible to potential prey) are studded with batteries of nematocysts. By drifting with extended tentacles in areas of high prey density, prey that contact the tentacles are stunned and killed by the nematocysts. Other nematocysts function more to hold on to the prey. Once unresponsive, the prey can ...

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