Animal Unique | Portuguese Man o' War | Portuguese Man o' War, actually are not true jellyfish even the physical appearance is like a jellyfish. They are not a single creature, but colony of individuals called zooids. The name 'Man of War' is obtained from the similarity of his upper body, with Portuguese battleship with a sail. They are also known as Blue Bottle Jellyfish. Their color can range from a blue to a pink hue, with a translucent body. Portuguese Man o' War is often found with a variety of fish, including shepherd fish, clownfish and yellow jacket species rarely found elsewhere. The clownfish can swim among the tentacles with impunity, possibly due to the mucus that does not cause the nematocysts. The shepherd fish seem to avoid the larger, stinging tentacles, but feeds on the smaller tentacles below the gas bladder.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hydrozoa
Order: Siphonophora
Family: Physaliidae
Genus: Physalia
Species: P. physalis
Portuguese Man o' War consists of four separate polyps. The top polyp, pneumatophor, is filled of gas. Therefore, it floats on water. Three other polyps known as: dactylozooid (functioning as a defense), gonozooid (functioning for reproduction) and gastrozooid (functioning to eat). Another part of the Bluebottle jellyfish is a tentacle. Tentacles are thin and long. They can reach 30 feet. The tentacles are covered with nematocysts are full of poison to paralyze and kill fish and other small creatures. It eats small fish and other small ocean animals that is stings with its long tentacles. The poison in the stingers paralyzes the prey, which the Bluebottle then eats.
Portuguese Man o' War live most commonly in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific and Indian oceans, and the northern Atlantic Gulf Stream, although found in warm seas throughout the world. There are few marine animals that are immune to the sting Portuguese Man o' War. One example is the sea turtle. Sea turtles immune to the stings Portuguese Man o' War because their skins and shells are too thick to be stung by Portuguese Man o' War. Moreover, it turns out Man of War into the turtle's favorite food menu list of sea turtles. Sea slug, Glaucus atlanticus, Violet snail, Janthina janthina, Blanket octopus and Ocean Sunfish are other predators of Bluebottle jellyfish.
For humans, Portuguese Man o' War sting was very painful, and sometimes caused death. In Australia, Portuguese Man o' War is responsible for up to 10,000 human stings in Australia every summer, especially on the east coast, the coast of South Australia and Western Australia. Portuguese Man o' War cause fever, shock as well as heart and lung problems. If you're stung by Portuguese Man o' War pick off any visible tentacles, then rinse with fresh or salt water. Put ice on the area. Because you might go into shock it is important to get medical help as soon as possible. The toxins from tentacles are about 75 percent as powerful as cobra venom. Even dead Bluebottle jellyfish stranded on the beach and dead, it can still sting so don't touch them.
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