In a dark hall in Pompano Beach, just north of Fort Lauderdale, transparent predators pulse slowly in illuminated tanks, like living, glowing clouds. Here, at the private Jellyfish Museum, which opened in the spring of 2026, jellyfish have become the sole inhabitants of an entire museum for the first time in the USA.
According to the founders—a couple from Ukraine, Yana Yanovska and Alex Yanovsky—this is one of the few such museums in the world. In 20 000 square feet, about twenty species of jellyfish from the waters of Florida and other regions of the planet are housed. Visitors watch as these ancient creatures, which have existed for hundreds of millions of years, move in a hypnotic rhythm beneath projections on the walls.
Jellyfish are not just beautiful objects for contemplation. They play an important role in marine ecosystems: they serve as food for fish and turtles, and they themselves regulate plankton populations. In recent decades, their numbers have been growing in some ocean regions, which, according to observational data, may be linked to changes in water temperature and the overfishing of other species.
The museum not only demonstrates the biology of these organisms but also shows how fragile the balance in the seas is. Each species requires specific conditions for maintenance—from salinity to lighting—which underscores the complexity of their adaptation to the environment.
The couple plans to expand the exhibition, drawing attention to marine fauna that often remains in the shadow of more "charismatic" ocean dwellers. Visiting such a place allows one to see how even the simplest-looking creatures are connected to global processes in nature.
The Jellyfish Museum serves as a reminder that the study and preservation of marine ecosystems begin with attention to their most inconspicuous, yet ancient, inhabitants.
