Portuguese man o' war

Physalia physalis

The Portuguese man o' war is a floating colony of specialized animals, not a single jellyfish. A gas-filled float carries it across tropical and subtropical seas while tentacles below capture prey.

Not a fish · an aquatic neighbor

Water

Saltwater

Surface waters of tropical and subtropical oceans.

Temperature

Range not established

No dependable species-specific wild temperature range was located.

Size

Tentacles average about 10 m (33 ft) and may reach 30 m (100 ft)

Its longest tentacles can span the length of a basketball court.

Lifespan

Not established in the wild

Life expectancy varies with place, conditions, and what scientists have been able to observe.

01 · Signature adaptation

What does it do?

It cannot swim independently and travels with wind and currents. Large groups may drift together, sometimes numbering in the hundreds or more.

Its superpowerDifferent zooids in one colony divide jobs such as floating, feeding, defense, and reproduction.

02 · Home coordinates

Where does it live?

Warm surface waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and other tropical or subtropical oceans.

Regions: Atlantic Ocean · Pacific Ocean · Indian Ocean · Tropical and subtropical seas

03 · The menu

What does it eat?

Stinging tentacles immobilize prey, which feeding zooids digest and share with the colony.

Carnivore: small fish, fish larvae, small crustaceans.

04 · Remember this

Two wow facts

Many animals, one colony

A single man o' war is a colony of genetically identical zooids with different jobs.

Sources [1]

Sting after washing ashore

Its tentacles may still sting for weeks after the animal reaches a beach.

Sources [1]