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Paying homage to the wonderful, unusual and diverse world of animals. I make no claim to content ownership. Sources are credited (with links) whenever possible — on both unique posts & re-blogs. Any post will be removed upon request (please provide URL link to the post/page). Enjoy! Email: animalworldtumblrblog@gmail.com Twitter: @animalworldtoo


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PORTUGUESE MAN O’ WAR (Physalia physalis) The Portuguese man o’ war, also known as the Portuguese man-of-war, man-of-war, or bluebottle, is a venomous  jelly-like marine invertebrate of the family Physaliidae. The name “man-of-war” is borrowed from the man-of-war, an 16th century English armed sailing ship. Despite its outward appearance, the man-of-war is not a true jellyfish but a siphonophore, which differ from jellyfish in that they are not actually a single creature, but a colonial organism made up of many minute individuals called zooids. Each zooids is a highly-specialized solitary animal, attached to each other and physiologically integrated to the extent that they are incapable of independent survival. The man-of-war is found in warm water seas floating on the surface of open ocean, its air bladder keeping it afloat and acting as a sail while the rest of the organism hangs below the surface. It has no means of self-propulsion and is entirely dependent on winds, currents, and tides. It is most common in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific and Indian oceans, but can drift outside of this range on warm currents such as the Atlantic Gulf Stream. The Portuguese Man o’ War is responsible for up to 10,000 human stings in Australia each summer, particularly on the east coast, with some others occurring off the coast of South Australia and Western Australia.  The stinging venom-filled nematocysts 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. Fact Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Man_o%27_War Other photos you may enjoy: Textile Cone Snail (venomous) Lemon Shark

PORTUGUESE MAN O’ WAR (Physalia physalis)

  • The Portuguese man o’ war, also known as the Portuguese man-of-war, man-of-war, or bluebottle, is a venomous  jelly-like marine invertebrate of the family Physaliidae.
  • The name “man-of-war” is borrowed from the man-of-war, an 16th century English armed sailing ship.
  • Despite its outward appearance, the man-of-war is not a true jellyfish but a siphonophore, which differ from jellyfish in that they are not actually a single creature, but a colonial organism made up of many minute individuals called zooids.
  • Each zooids is a highly-specialized solitary animal, attached to each other and physiologically integrated to the extent that they are incapable of independent survival.
  • The man-of-war is found in warm water seas floating on the surface of open ocean, its air bladder keeping it afloat and acting as a sail while the rest of the organism hangs below the surface.
  • It has no means of self-propulsion and is entirely dependent on winds, currents, and tides.
  • It is most common in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific and Indian oceans, but can drift outside of this range on warm currents such as the Atlantic Gulf Stream.
  • The Portuguese Man o’ War is responsible for up to 10,000 human stings in Australia each summer, particularly on the east coast, with some others occurring off the coast of South Australia and Western Australia. 
  • The stinging venom-filled nematocysts 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.

Fact Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Man_o%27_War

Other photos you may enjoy:

Textile Cone Snail (venomous)

Lemon Shark

Notes

  1. ventospassados reblogged this from animalworld
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  4. leleletsugas reblogged this from animalworld and added:
    I have to do a paper sculpture of this jellyfish that isnt a jellyfish.
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  8. dirtywaves reblogged this from animalworld and added:
    I am absolutely terrified of these.
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  12. sink-beneath-the-waves reblogged this from animalworld and added:
    Learned about these last week...my Invertebrate Zoology class! Member
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  17. the-dude-himself reblogged this from animalworld and added:
    why I couldn’t be happier my parents raised me...fed me nature documentaries like there...
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  23. whoeeoo reblogged this from birdjabber and added:
    That thing looks strangely delicious…
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  25. birdjabber reblogged this from animalworld and added:
    organism. It’s...not mind-boggling?
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    Me: YEAH AND THEM BITCHES HURT TOO!
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