Beroe ovata grows to a total length of about 16 cm (6 in). In shape it is roughly oval or cylindrical, but can be flattened like a mitten or deformed. At one end, known as the oral end, is the large mouth and at the other (aboral) end is a statocyst which has a sensory role and is involved in maintaining the animal's equilibrium. The body wall is composed of a gelatinous mesoglea sandwiched between two layers of cells. It is translucent and pale blue, or sometimes pale pink. On the exterior surface, eight longitudinal rows of cilia form the "combs", and it is these cilia, beating in unison, that propel the animal through the water. It usually moves with the mouth at the front but can reverse the direction of travel. This comb jelly has no tentacles.[2] The internal gastric cavity is connected to a network of canals forming a meshwork in the mesoglea.[3]