Portuguese Man O' War
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Cnidaria Class: Hydrozoa Order: Siphonophora Family: Physaliidae Genus: Physalia Species: P. physalis
Binomial name
Physalia physalis (Linnaeus, 1758)

The Portuguese Man O' War (Physalia physalis), also known as the bluebubble, bluebottle or the man-of-war or the portuguese man of war, is commonly thought of as a jellyfish but is actually a siphonophore—a colony of specialized polyps and medusoids.^[1] Man O War, born March 29, 1917 at Nursery Stud farm in Lexington, Kentucky, United States - died November 1, 1947 at Faraway Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, is considered to be one of the greatest thoroughbred racehorses of all time. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1100x1508, 690 KB) Physalia Physalis - Portuguese man-of-war - Noaa - PD Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [1] File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are... Scientific classification redirects here. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Subphylum/Classes[2] Anthozoa — corals and sea anemones Medusozoa:[1] Cubozoa â€” sea wasps or box jellyfish Hydrozoa â€” hydroids, hydra-like animals Polypodiozoa Scyphozoa — jellyfish Staurozoa — stalked jellyfish Unranked: Myxozoa - parasites Cnidaria[3] (pronounced [4]) is a phylum containing some 11,000 species of apparently simple animals found exclusively in aquatic... Subclasses Anthomedusae Laingiomedusae Leptomedusae Limnomedusae Siphonophorae Actinulidae Narcomedusae Trachymedusae Polypodiozoa Organisms of the Class Hydrozoa belong to the phylum Cnidaria. ... Families See text. ... Latin name redirects here. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 13, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... For other uses, see Jellyfish (disambiguation). ... Siphonophora is an order of the Hydrozoa, a class of marine invertebrates belonging to the phylum Cnidaria. ... This is a biological article: For a territory administered by another territory see: Colony For a group attempting to affiliate with a Fraternity or Sorority see: Colony (fraternity) In biology, a colony (from Latin colonia) refers to several individual organisms of the same species living closely together, usually for mutual... Anatomy of a coral polyp. ... 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. ...

A similar group of animals are the chondrophores. Genera Porpita Velella Chondrophores are an order of hydrozoans, gelatinous Cnidarians superficially resembling jellyfish. ...

Structure

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 elaborate patterns on the wings of butterflies are one example of bilateral symmetry. ... Genera Porpita Velella Chondrophores are an order of hydrozoans, gelatinous Cnidarians superficially resembling jellyfish. ... The elaborate patterns on the wings of butterflies are one example of bilateral symmetry. ...

The Portuguese Man O' War has an air bladder, known as the pneumatophore or 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 sail is filled with air, but may build up a high concentration of carbon dioxide (up to 90%). The bladder must stay wet to ensure survival; every so often it may roll slightly to wet the surface of the float. To escape a surface attack, the pneumatophore can be deflated allowing the Man O' War to briefly submerge.

Below the main body dangle long tentacles, sometimes reaching ten meters (33 feet) in length below the surface, although one meter (three feet) is the average. They sting and kill small sea creatures such as small fish and shrimp using venom-filled nematocysts, then draw the prey in to the gastrozooids, another type of polyp that surrounds and digest it. Gonozooids are responsible for reproduction. Cnidocytes are prey-capture and defensive cells found on animals of the phylum Cnidaria. ... For other uses, see Reproduction (disambiguation) Reproduction is the biological process by which new individual organisms are produced. ...

Venom

This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (February 2008)

The sting from the tentacles is dangerous to humans. These stings usually cause excruciating pain, and have even been the cause of several deaths. Detached tentacles and specimens which wash up on shore can sting just as painfully as the intact creature in the water for weeks after their detachment. The venom can travel up to the lymph nodes and may cause, depending on the amount of venom, more intense pain. Medical attention is usually necessary, especially in extreme cases. This article is about modern humans. ... Look up Pain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Lymph nodes are components of the lymphatic system. ...

Research suggests that the best treatment for a sting is to apply hot water (45°C/113°F) to the affected area, which eases the pain of a sting by denaturing the toxins.^[2] Ice is also effective at suppressing the pain through reducing the activity of the toxins and reducing the sensation and therefore pain of the area of skin around the ice. Additionally, ice constricts blood vessels, reducing the speed at which the venom travels to other parts of the body. Irreversible egg protein denaturation and loss of solubility, caused by the high temperature (while cooking it) Denaturation is the alteration of a protein or nucleic acids shape through some form of external stress (for example, by applying heat, acid or alkali), in such a way that it will no...

The Portuguese Man O' War is often confused with a jellyfish, which is incorrect and may lead to improper treatment of stings, as the venom is different. A second sting may lead to an allergic reaction. For other uses, see Jellyfish (disambiguation). ... This article needs cleanup. ...

Predators

The Loggerhead Turtle, which is apparently immune to Man O' War toxins, is commonly seen feeding on the Man O' War.^[3] Binomial name Caretta caretta Linnaeus, 1758 The Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta), is characterized by a large head with blunt jaws. ...

The sea slug Glaucus atlanticus also feeds on the Man O' War.^[4] Binomial name Glaucus atlanticus Forster, 1777 Glaucus atlanticus is a nudibranch of the family Glaucidae, the only member of the genus Glaucus. ...

Etymology

The Portuguese Man O' War (named caravela-portuguesa in Portuguese) is named for its air bladder, which looks similar to the sails of the Portuguese fighting ship (man-of-war) Caravela redonda (an armed 4-sail caravel), of the 14th and 15th centuries. A Dutch man-of-war firing a salute. ... Portuguese caravel, adorned with the Cross of the Order of Christ. ...

Footnotes

External links

Wikispecies has information related to:

Physalia physalis

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Physalia physalis

• Siphonophores.org - General information on siphonophores, including the Portuguese man-of-war (Physalia)
• Poisonous Animals: Blue bottle, Portuguese man-of-war (Physalia)

Image File history File links Wikispecies-logo. ... Wikispecies is a wiki-based online project supported by the Wikimedia Foundation that aims to create a comprehensive free content catalogue of all species (including animalia, plantae, fungi, bacteria, archaea, and protista). ...

Gallery

Portuguese Man O' War, March 2008 Miami Beach, Florida Location in Miami-Dade and the state of Florida. ...	Portuguese Man O'War on Delray Beach, Florida Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...	Portuguese Man O' War washed ashore at Batemans Bay, New South Wales, Australia; only the air bladder is readily visible Image File history File links Bluebottle. ... Batemans Bay (postcode: 2536, ) is a town and a bay in the South Coast region of the state of New South Wales, Australia. ...	Portuguese Man O' War washed ashore on Surfer's Paradise, on the Gold Coast in Australia Image File history File links Portuguese_Man_o'_War_on_Surfer's_Paradise. ... Surfers Paradise by day during Schoolies Week, in Cavill Mall. ... Gold Coast redirects here. ...
Portuguese Man O' War spotted at Biscayne National Park, Florida Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1384x1024, 216 KB)A picture of a Portugese Man o War taken by me. ... Biscayne National Park is a U.S. National Park located in southern Florida, due east of Homestead, FL. The park preserves Biscayne Bay, one of the top scuba diving areas in the United States. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ...	Portuguese Man O' War washed ashore in Melbourne, Florida Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2816x2112, 3655 KB) Author: Buddy Moore Description: Portugese Man o War Location: Melbourne, FL, USA File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Nickname: Location in Brevard County and the state of Florida Coordinates: , Country State County Brevard Settled c. ...	Portuguese Man O'War captured alive in Mayaro Beach, Trinidad and Tobago Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...	Physalia physalis on the shore in Karachi, Pakistan Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1632 × 1224 pixel, file size: 901 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Zoob04 07:46, 16 June 2007 (UTC)Zoob04 Portuguese Man-of-War, Found on the Karachi Beach, Pakistan File history Legend: (cur) = this is the... Mausoleum of Muhammed Ali Jinnah, known locally as Quaid-e-Azam ka Mazaar or Mazaar-e-Quaid Karachi (کراچي) is the largest city of Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. ...
Portuguese Man O' War washed ashore in Palm Beach, Florida Being largely seasonal, downtown Palm Beachs streets are virtually vacant in the summer. ...	'Blue Bottle Jellyfish' at Tawharanui Open Sanctuary,New Zealand