The Boy in the Submarine – Season 2, Episode 6: The Portuguese Man O’War
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People long thought that the Portuguese Man O’War was long thought to be a strange jellyfish that evolved to float on the surface. It wasn’t until we saw other Siphonophores deep underwater that we figured out it was a type of Siphohophore, too!
The Portuguese Man O’War, sometimes called the Man O’War, Box Jellyfish, or Bluebottle Jellyfish is in fact a siphonophore made up of seven different kinds of creatures: the big bubble with the sail on the back that lets it float on the surface and catch wind with its sail is a creature called a pneumatophore. It’s tentacles are creatures called Tentacular Zooids, that work just like jellyfish tentacles: they sting and paralyze prey, then bring it up to two other kinds of creatures that work together to eat and digest prey, then feed it to the others. Another creature helps push the Man ‘O’War through the water. The seventh one is a mystery: we don’t know what it’s job is yet.
The Man O’War is famous for its deadly sting. In reality, most people get a welt that hurts for 3 hours or so, but if its venom goes to the wrong place in your body it can kill you.
Portuguese The Man O’War paralyzes and eats small fish as it sails the warm seas in most of the oceans. It can be found almost anywhere where the water is warm. They are eaten by few other creatures, but are a favourite food for some kinds of sea slugs and nudibranches.
