Chondrophores are an order of hydrozoans, gelatinous Cnidarians superficially resembling jellyfish. The order, Chondrophora, is small: it contains a single family (Porpitidae) with just two genera and approximately six species in total. The most familiar members include the Blue Button (Porpita porpita) and the By-the-wind Sailor (Velella velella). Scientific classification or biological classification refers to how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Orders Actinulida Capitata Chondrophora Filifera Hydroida Siphonophora Trachylina Organisms that are in Class Hydrozoa come from the Phylum Cnidaria. ... Classes Anthozoa - Corals and sea anemones Cubozoa - Sea wasps or box jellyfish Hydrozoa - Hydroids, hydra-like animals Scyphozoa - Jellyfish Cnidaria is a phylum containing some 10,000 species of relatively simple animals found exclusively in aquatic environments (most species are marine). ... This article is about jellyfish, the sea creatures. ... Scientific classification or biological classification refers to how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... See genus (mathematics) for the use of the term in mathematics. ... Velella is a genus of chondrophores commonly known as by-the-wind sailors. ...

Although related to jellyfish, chondrophores are actually colonial animals; like the Portuguese Man O' War, chondrophores are an orderly cooperative of polyps. These tiny individual animals are specialized to perform certain tasks; some form the central gas-filled disc (which is a golden brown colour and hardened by chitinous material) essential to keeping the colony afloat; others form radiating tentacles for such tasks as catching prey, reproduction, and digestion. Binomial name Physalia physalis (Linnaeus, 1758) The Portuguese man o war (genus Physalia), also known as the blue bottle, is commonly thought of as a jellyfish but is actually a siphonophore—a colony of four sorts of polyps. ... This article is about the cnidarian polyps. ... Gas (actually as, part of the Gnu Binutils package) is the default Gcc Back-end. ... In biology, chitin is one of the main components in the cell walls of fungi, the exoskeletons of insects and other arthropods, and in some other animals. ... Reproduction is the creation of one thing as a copy of, product of, or replacement for a similar thing, e. ... Digestion is the process whereby a biological entity processes a substance, in order to chemically convert the substance into nutrients. ...

Velella species differ from Porpita species by their transparent, membranous sail-shaped floats; filled with gas, the membranes have a texture reminiscent of cellophane. Both genera have turquoise to dark blue mantles and tentacles, with lemon-yellow morphs occasionally encountered. Neither group is particularly large: the floats of Vellella are usually under 7.6 centimetres (3 inches) in diameter, while those of Porpita are usually less than 3.8 centimetres (1.5 inches). Velella is a genus of chondrophores commonly known as by-the-wind sailors. ... Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of processed cellulose. ... This article is about the gem. ...

At the mercy of winds and currents, chondrophores are pelagic and drift aimlessly in the open ocean. They are often seen in large aggregations; mass beachings are not unusual. Microplankton is a chondrophore's principle prey. Although none have stings, contact with the skin may cause irritation. The pelagic zone is the part of the open sea or ocean comprising the water column, i. ... Photomontage of plankton organisms Plankton is the aggregate community of weakly swimming but mostly drifting small organisms that inhabit the water column of the ocean, seas, and bodies of freshwater. ...

Chondrophores multiply by releasing tiny (0.3-2.5 millimetres or 0.01-0.09 inches) medusae which go on to develop new colonies. They are believed to have originated in the late Proterozoic period, some 650-540 million years ago. In biology, a medusa (also known as a hydromedusa) is a form of cnidarian in which the body is shortened on its principal axis and broadened, sometimes greatly, in contrast with the hydroid or polyp. ... In geology, the Proterozoic is an eon prior to the first abundant complex life on earth. ...

External links

• Image of various Porpita colour morphs (http://www.imagequest3d.com/catalogue/surfacedrifters/pages/j009_jpg.htm)
• Jellieszone.com: Velella velella (http://jellieszone.com/velella.htm)