Portuguese man-of-war
Animals

Facts about Portuguese man-of-war

We found 19 facts about Portuguese man-of-war

Pacific man-of-war

Portuguese man-of-war are fascinating creatures, that are in fact a colony of individual organisms. Named after warship vessels, they resemble floating plastic bags, tinted with a bluish or pinkish hue. They are commonly found in the biggest oceans, except in the Arctic Ocean, and pose no threat to humans, but can sting painfully.

Portuguese man-of-war
1
They belong to the genus Physalia and are its only representative.
2
They are commonly confused with jellyfish, thanks to their tentacles.
3
They are a species of marine hydrozoan, found in every ocean, except for the Arctic Ocean.
Hydrozoans are predatory marine animals, colonizing mostly warm, saline waters around the globe.
4
They are siphonophores, which means they are, in fact, living colonies of individual zooids, working as a unit.
5
Both the Portuguese man-of-war and the Pacific man-of-war are considered the same species.
Some recent research may suggest they are not the same species. The organisms present in the Pacific Ocean are smaller than the ones from the Atlantic.
6
They consist of a floating, gas-filled bladder (pneumatophore), and submerged tentacles.
7
They grow up to 31 centimeters, with 51 meters long tentacles.
8
They are translucent, but the pneumatophore has a blue, purple, or pink hue.
9
They were named after a wooden warship at full sail, that the British sailors called Man of War.
The resemblance is questionable because they rather resemble a floating plastic bag.
10
They have no individual movement method; they float with the current or the wind.
11
They are neuston organisms, which means they live on the surface of the water.
12
They are venomous.
The venom fills their thin tendrils and is used on fish and small creatures lured by the movement of their tentacles.
13
They feed on small fish, crustaceans, and shrimp.
14
They have natural predators.
The two main ones are the violet sea snail and sea slugs from the genus Glaucus. They also fell prey to loggerhead sea turtles and ocean sunfish.
15
Their sting is very painful.
It is not deadly, however, there are known cases of anaphylactic shock and cardiovascular collapse as a side effect of the sting.
16
They can sting even once the tentacle is severed, or while washed ashore.
17
The number of their population is currently unknown.
18
It is believed that each colony has a specified sex.
Little is known about their procreation, only what scientists theorize. They suggest genozoids–reproductive individuals of Hydrozoan colonies–release sperm and eggs into the ocean, and get fertilized once cross paths with the same package from other man-of-war colony.
19
They form legions of 1,000 colonies floating together.
It is most likely not an intentional strategy, but rather a result of floating with the current, as they do not have any individual movement method.
Hungry for more facts?
Subscribe to Google News Random topic
22 facts about Horseshoe crab
22 facts about Horseshoe crab
A relict species whose roots date back to the middle Silurian Era
These very distinctive animals were once much more widespread on earth. They belong to order Xiphosura , of which four species have survived to the pr ...
19 facts about jellyfish
19 facts about jellyfish
Gelatinous sea creature
Jellyfish are fascinating creatures and the most ancient animals on Earth. Although boneless, toothless, and brainless, they are efficient predators a ...
17 facts about Bermuda Triangle
17 facts about Bermuda Triangle
A mysterious place in the Atlantic
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a maritime area in the Atlantic Ocean. It lies north of the Caribbean, roughly between so ...
15 facts about Clownfish
15 facts about Clownfish
Nemo fish
Clownfish are also called anemonefish thanks to their symbiotic behavior with those animals. After appearance in "Finding Nemo" their popularity rapid ...
15 facts about vaquita
15 facts about vaquita
Phocoena sinus
Vaquitas are the smallest of all known cetaceans. They are very timid, and thus spotting one is extremely rare. Native to the Gulf of California in Me ...

Latest topics

42 facts about Kyshtym disaster
42 facts about Kyshtym disaster
The first nuclear accident in Earth's history
Before information about it saw the light of day, the Soviets hid it for over 30 years. The explosion at the Mayak combine was the first nuclear accid ...
37 facts about Saint Petersburg
37 facts about Saint Petersburg
A city of many names
It was a dream and a matter of prestige for the Romanov dynasty to gain access to the Baltic Sea and build a metropolis to testify to Russia's emergin ...
32 facts about Peter the Great
32 facts about Peter the Great
The first Emperor of all Russia
Peter the Great is considered one of Russia's greatest rulers. He was a great reformer, strategist, and builder who was the first of the tsars to trav ...
39 facts about Dyatlov Pass incident
39 facts about Dyatlov Pass incident
Mysterious tragedy in the Ural mountains
The case of a group of students at the Ural Polytechnical Institute in Sverdlovsk continues to arouse great interest and raise many questions. A group ...
11 facts about Brooklyn Bridge
11 facts about Brooklyn Bridge
The first steel suspension bridge in the world
It is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the world. It connects Brooklyn with Manhattan, runs over the East River, and was completed in 1883. ...
31 facts about Brazil
31 facts about Brazil
South America's largest country
Brazil is the largest and most populous country in South America and one of the largest and most populous countries in the world. A former Portuguese ...
44 facts about Ghent
44 facts about Ghent
City of three towers
Ghent is one of Belgium's most visited cities by tourists. This beautiful old Flanders city combines dignity, beauty, culture, and creativity. It is a ...
31 facts about Thailand
31 facts about Thailand
A country on the Indochinese Peninsula
Thailand is an Asian country located in its south-eastern part, famous for its interesting culture and religious architecture. This exotic country, wh ...

Similar topics

Horseshoe crab
22 facts about Horseshoe crab
These very distinctive animals were once much more widespread on earth. They belong to order Xiphosura , of which four species have survived to the pr ...
Jellyfish
19 facts about jellyfish
Jellyfish are fascinating creatures and the most ancient animals on Earth. Although boneless, toothless, and brainless, they are efficient predators a ...
Bermuda Triangle
17 facts about Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a maritime area in the Atlantic Ocean. It lies north of the Caribbean, roughly between so ...
Clownfish
15 facts about Clownfish
Clownfish are also called anemonefish thanks to their symbiotic behavior with those animals. After appearance in "Finding Nemo" their popularity rapid ...
Vaquita
15 facts about vaquita
Vaquitas are the smallest of all known cetaceans. They are very timid, and thus spotting one is extremely rare. Native to the Gulf of California in Me ...
Ocean sunfish
20 facts about Ocean sunfish
The ocean sunfish is found in all tropical and temperate seas of the world. Its appearance resembles a large head with an attached tail. The body of t ...
Brittle stars
26 facts about Brittle stars
Although ophiuroids resemble starfish, they are quite different from them. First, they move with their flexible arms, whereas starfish use tube feet ...
Dolphins
17 facts about dolphins
They live in both oceans and rivers. They often travel in large herds, sometimes exceeding 1000 individuals. They have their language, which we have n ...
Narwhal
23 facts about Narwhal
Monodon Monoceros, or single-tooth narwhal, is the only representative of the genus Monodon from the Monodontidae family. These relatively small mamma ...