Former biotech industry employee and San Franciscan Alex Andon runs a website which showcases a companion you’re highly unlikely to find at your local pet store – domesticated jellyfish.
Andon credits the current popularity of jellyfish, with the opening of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s jellyfish exhibit almost ten years ago. “People were absolutely captivated by them, but no one had figured out how to let people have their own pet jellyfish at home, because they need special tanks and special food. So I just started experimenting and figured out a tank and a food that worked,” Andon says.
Often regarded as eerily beautiful creatures, jellyfish are also quick to be labeled killers, thanks to their sometimes toxic sting. Andon’s website features two varieties of non-lethal companions called moon jellyfish, as well as as a variety of filtration systems, tanks, and plankton, for all your jellyfish needs.
These pets are not for everyone. Although they can easily hold your attention with their transparent bodies and graceful movements, conversation tends to be a bit dull and one-sided, thanks to the jellyfish’s lack of a mouth.
On the bright side, you’d be bypassing vet visits, stinky baths, pooper scooping, and other stress-inducing responsibilities that come with your average pet.
San Francisco can decide for themselves. Are we pushing our limits in regards to the domestication of the world’s creatures, or is Andon’s jellyfish business signifying the future of humans and their pets?
Photo of Monaco Moon Jellyfish: Jellyfish Art
