Image From University Of Winnipeg

Image from Sea Science

Jellyfish do not have a specialized digestive system. The food enters through the mouth, which is located in the center of the bell. The food that goes into the mouth is trapped in the gastrovascular cavity and the nutrients are absorbed by the gastrodermis. The waste products of a jellyfish leave through the mouth. Jellyfish are carnivores that feed on zooplankton and other jellyfish. They alternately open and close the bell part to move and trap zooplankton. Jellyfish use their tentacles to poison the food they are trying to capture. Each tentacle has a large amount of nematocysts, which uncoil when the tentacle hits the prey. Nematocysts, when there is pressure on it, causes a coiled stinging thread to quickly harpoon into the object that touched the tentacles or oral arms. The nematocysts usually paralyze or kill what the jellyfish is hunting.