Portuguese Man o' War
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? Portuguese Man O'
War |
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| Physalia
physalis ( Linnaeus, 1758) |
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The Portuguese Man O' War (Physalia physalis), also known as the bluebottle, is commonly thought of as a jellyfish but is actually a siphonophore—a colony of four sorts of polyps.
A similar group of animals are the chondrophores. The Man O' War's float is bilaterally symmetrical with the tentacles at one end, while the chondrophores are radially symmetrical with the sail at an angle. Also the Man O' War has a siphon, while the chondrophores do not.
The Portuguese Man O' War has an air bladder; known also as a sail, that allows it to float on the surface of the ocean. It has no means of propulsion and is pushed by the winds and the current. The bladder is actually a single large polyp, called the pneumatophore. The sail is filled with air, but may build up a high concentration of carbon monoxide (up to 90%). The animal can deflate to submerge; however this is not its normal state, generally doing so only long enough to avoid a threat. The bladder must stay wet in order for survival, every so often it dips the bladder underwater to keep it wet.
Below the jelly dangle long tentacles, sometimes stretching to over ten metres in length. Tentacles as long as 55 m (180 ft) are known. These tentacles are individual polyps called dactylozooids. They stun and kill small sea creatures using poison-filled nematocysts and use muscles to draw the prey in to the gastrozooids, which are yet another different type of polyp that surround and digest it. Gonozooids, the fourth type of polyp, are responsible for reproduction.
Portuguese Man O' War are an important source of food to sea turtles, which are immune to the poison. Sea slugs and sea snails floating on the water are also immune to the poison. The Portuguese Man O' War can be found on the coast of North America, Europe and Australia as well as in other areas of the world.
The sting from the tentacles is potentially dangerous to humans; these stings have been responsible for several deaths, but usually only cause intense pain. Detached tentacles and specimens washed up on shore can sting just as painfully as the full creature in the water. If stung, the best treatment is to cool the area with ice. However, the venom will travel up to the lymph glands and may cause, depending on the amount of venom, more intense pain. Cooling the pain infected area is again the best treatment and after 30 to 60 minutes the pain will decrease and vanish. Under no circumstances should alcohol or vinegar be applied to a sting area; these will cause the sting to become more painful. In extreme cases medical attention is necessary.
It is often confused with a jellyfish, which is not only wrong, but may lead to incorrect treatment of stings, as the poison is different. A second sting may lead to an allergic reaction.
The Man O' War is named for its air bladder, which looks similar to a battleship with a sail while it is floating on the ocean's surface. [1] [2]
Recent research by the University of Newcastle has shown that the best treatment for stings is exposing the area to 45C water which reduces the affect of the poison.