Portuguese man o' war
Physalia physalis
- Scientific name
- Physalia physalis
- Group
- Cnidarians (corals, anemones, jellyfish)
- Rarity
- Rare
- Where to see it
- Caribbean & Tropical Atlantic, Temperate Atlantic / English Channel
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Not evaluated
Did you know?
The Portuguese man o' war isn't a single animal but a colony of specialized polyps living in symbiosis. Its gas-filled float acts like a sail, letting the wind carry it along, and its tentacles can still sting even after washing up on a beach.
What defines this group — Cnidarians (corals, anemones, jellyfish)
Corals, anemones and jellyfish: the same simple animal, anchored to the bottom or drifting in open water.
- All armed with cnidocytes, harpoon cells that fire on contact.
- A body arranged in rays around a single opening, serving as both mouth and exit.
- Hard corals host algae in their tissue: it is their departure that causes bleaching.