Portuguese Man-of-war | MoreBeach.com | Manofwar, Portuguese, Tentacles, Water, Colony

Portuguese Man-of-war

Written by Chris

(Physalia physalis)

Portuguese man-of-war are known around the world as dangerous animals to watch out for when in the water. The Portuguese man-of-war is not actually a jellyfish at all and what looks like one animal is really a colony of many individuals or polyps.

Each type of polyp within a colony serves a different purpose: one acts as the float, some form tentacles and others have feeding or reproductive functions. The Portuguese man-of-war is blue or purple in color and has a large gas-filled bladder that is visible floating on the sea surface. Below this float sits the rest of the colony, including the massive tentacles that can reach lengths of over 60 feet! These tentacles are lined with stingers and are used to catch prey and defend the colony from predators. These stingers or nematocysts are filled with toxins and are shot out like miniature harpoons to stun or kill prey. Portuguese man-of-war mainly eat small adult or juvenile fish but will also eat other small sea animals. Although the Portuguese man-of-war seems heavily defended, some fish, protected by a layer of mucus on the body, are able to live within the tentacles and sea turtles, immune to the toxins, will feed on man-of-war.

The Portuguese man-of-war is planktonic, meaning it is unable propel itself in the water and instead travels along with water currents and wind. Portuguese man-of-war are not common in cooler northern waters but are occasionally carried north by the Gulf Stream to the waters off of New England.

They are extremely dangerous, and if man-of-war are present in the area you should be careful both in the water and walking along the beach. Stings from a man-of-war are extremely painful and in some cases can be fatal. Even washed up on the beach, man-of-war or their broken off tentacles can still sting and should not be touched! If you do get stung, apply ice to the area and get immediate medical help.

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~Shela~ said:

	The man-of-war can sometimes have tenticles up to 165 feet to, I've seen this stated in many articles I've read. And it can also be a transparent pink color.
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