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Portuguese Man O' War

Physalia physalis

Description:

man-of-war, or bluebottle, is a jelly-like marine invertebrate of the family Physaliidae. Its venomous tentacles can deliver a powerful sting. Despite its outward appearance, the man o' war is not a jellyfish but a siphonophore, which differs from jellyfish in that it is not actually a single creature, but a colonial organism made up of many minute individuals called zooids.[2] Each of these zooids is highly specialized, and, although structurally similar to other solitary animals, they are attached to one another and physiologically integrated to the extent that they are incapable of independent survival.

Habitat:

The Portuguese man o' war lives at the surface of the ocean. The gas-filled bladder, or pneumatophore, remains at the surface, while the remainder is submerged.[3] Since the man o' war has no means of propulsion, it is moved by a combination of winds, currents, and tides. Although it can be found anywhere in the open ocean (especially warm water seas), it is most commonly found in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific and Indian oceans and in the northern Atlantic Gulf Stream. On the other side of the Atlantic, they wash ashore along the northern Gulf of Mexico and east and west coasts of Florida. An abundance of Portuguese men o' war can be found in the waters of Costa Rica, especially in March and April, while they are also found off of Guyana, Colombia, Jamaica, and Venezuela.[citation needed] They wash up on the shore during certain months of the year. They are reported abundantly in the waters near Karachi, Pakistan in the summer months, and are also common in the ocean off parts of Australia, where they are known more commonly as 'blue-bottles', and New Zealand. During these months, they come ashore in the Gulf of California after rain, where they are known as agua(s) mala(s) by locals.[citation needed] They are also frequently found along the east coast of South Africa, particularly during winter storms if the wind has been blowing steadily on-shore for several hours, as well as around the Hawaiian Islands.

Notes:

The stinging, venom-filled nematocysts[13] in the tentacles of the Portuguese man o' war can paralyze small fish and other prey. Detached tentacles and dead specimens (including those that wash up on shore) can sting just as painfully as the live creature in the water and may remain potent for hours or even days after the death of the creature or the detachment of the tentacle.[14] Vinegar is not recommended for treating stings.[17] Vinegar dousing increases toxin delivery and worsens symptoms of stings from the nematocysts of this species. Vinegar has also been confirmed to provoke hemorrhaging when used on the less severe stings of nematocysts of smaller species.[20] The Portuguese man o' war is often confused with jellyfish by its victims, which may lead to improper treatment of stings, as the venom differs from that of true jellyfish.

1 Species ID Suggestions

tibiprada
tibiprada 11 years ago
Portuguese Man O' War
Physalia physalis Portuguese Man o' War


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3 Comments

Scott Frazier
Scott Frazier 10 years ago

You're welcome tibiprada.

tibiprada
tibiprada 10 years ago

Alright ! thanks, Scott Frazier

Scott Frazier
Scott Frazier 10 years ago

A "man-of-war" is not really a fish so I've moved this to the "other" category for you.

tibiprada
Spotted by
tibiprada

Key West, Florida, USA

Spotted on Apr 21, 2012
Submitted on Apr 21, 2012

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