‘Only One of Its Kind’ Jellyfish Museum Astounds Visitors With Awe-Inspiring Displays of Sea Nettles Safely Behind Glass
The museum opened in the spring and was founded by two aquarium experts who fled the Russia-Ukraine war
A new museum in Pompano Beach, Florida, has opened, dedicated to jellyfish. Founded by a couple from Ukraine, Alex and Yana Yanovsky, the Jellyfish Museum showcases up to 25 species of these elegant invertebrates. The facility, occupying over 10,000 square feet, houses more than 6,000 square feet of exhibition space. As the only museum of its kind in the United States, the museum offers immersive 3D projections and a mini laboratory for visitors to explore the world of jellyfish.
Yana Yanovsky explains that their passion for jellyfish inspired the creation of a refined, education-driven concept for South Florida, a region closely tied to the ocean. Intriguingly, jellyfish have existed for over 700 million years, predating dinosaurs, and they consist of 95 percent water. The museum features both cold-water and warm-water species, including the immortal jellyfish, which can revert to a polyp stage, and the lion's mane jellyfish, the largest species, measuring up to 120 feet in length.
Scientists attribute jellyfish population increases to warmer ocean temperatures, nutrient pollution, coastal development, and a decline in jellyfish-eating animals. While beachgoers in Maryland and Delaware faced jellyfish stings in early August, the Jellyfish Museum in Florida remains open daily, allowing visitors to safely observe these fascinating creatures without the risk of stings.
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