The Portuguese Man-of-War
Some Interesting Tidbits...
The PMOW got its name when earlier travelers saw it and described it as looking like a Portuguese Warship.
The PMOW is considered odd by some because it is not just one animal but actually a colony of organisms each which have their own specified task.
The PMOW's stingers are still able to
hours after it has died.
So What Are Their Characteristics?
While the float itself is not that spectacular measuring in anywhere from 3-12 inches, but their tentacles can reach lengths of upwards of 150.
This bell is filled with the rare gas Argon, the reason for this is still unknown.
The PMOW is nearly invisible to the unaided eye, but when viewed closely is seen to be pink, blue, or violet.
The PMOW is sometimes seen floating along in groups of up to 1000 or more.
This is the most widely distributed of all the jellyfish in the world.
It is found in almost all warm waters throughout the world, most commonly in the Gulf Stream and Tropical and Subtropical Indian and Pacific Oceans.
So, sure it can be seen in all these places, but how does it get around.
The PMOW has no real internal organs that make it move.
How it does get around though, is by the wind. It uses its float much the same way a sailboat uses it sail to maneuver and change direction.
A unique feature that the PMOW uses is that it can deflate its float so that inclement weather will not harm it.
THe PMOW's Place In The Food Chain...
The PMOW is a carnivore and eats fish and other small animals.
The PMOW then uses its tentacles to lure in and paralyze its prey. It paralyzes it prey by injecting nematocysts, which are its stingers, into them. After it paralyzes them it digests the animal.
These nematocysts are filled with a venom which is deadly to most small animals, but contrary to popular belief is not to most humans.
When killing prey the PMOW can "shoot" thousands of nematocysts at one time.
The Loggerhead Turtle is pretty much the only known predator of the PMOW.
The reason it eats the PMOW is unknown. The PMOW offers it no nutritional value but is thought to give it a "high."
The PMOW eats small fish, but the man-of-war fish is able to live among it's tentacles unharmed. Why? The fish is adept at darting in and out of the nematocysts without being stung.
It eats the tentacles of the PMOW which does no harm to them because they are able to regrow them.
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