Portuguese man o' war

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The Portuguese man o' war (Physalia physalis), also known as the man-of-war, bluebottle, or sometimes called Caravela Portuguesa (a name of Portuguese origin), is a marine hydrozoan found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. While it is typically considered the only species in its genus, Physalia, and family, Physaliidae, genetic evidence suggests there may be more. Although it superficially resembles a jellyfish, the Portuguese man o' war is in fact a siphonophore. Like all siphonophores, it is a colonial organism, made up of many smaller units called zooids. Although they are morphologically quite different, all of the zooids in a single specimen are genetically identical. These different types of zooids fulfill specialized functions, such as hunting, digestion, and reproduction, and together they allow the colony to operate as a single individual. The man o' war is part of the neuston, organisms that live on the surface of the water. A gas-filled bladder called the pneumatophore...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Image courtesy of Islands in the Sea 2002, NOAA/OER., Public domain