Portuguese man-of-war
Jellyfish-like ocean drifter
A Portuguese man-of-war is a marine organism resembling a jellyfish, with a gas-filled blue or purple bladder that floats on the surface and long tentacles trailing beneath that deliver painful, venomous stings.
Despite appearances, it's not a single animal but a colony of specialized organisms functioning as one.
Also called bluebottle.
The name comes from its resemblance to an 18th-century sailing warship.
Stinging aquatic invertebrate
- pelagicOf the open sea
- oceanicOf the sea
- planktonicDrifting in water
- drifterAimless, rootless traveler
surface dweller · warm waters · Gulf Stream · Atlantic · Pacific · tropical · subtropical · wind-driven
Fleshy membrane projection
- colonyDependent territorial settlement
- hydrozoanMarine invertebrate with stinging cells
- integratedCombined into a whole
- cooperativeJointly operated enterprise
aggregate · collective · specialized · division of labor · interdependent · connected
Stinging organelles of cnidarians
- venomInjected animal poison
- envenomationInjection of animal poison
- toxinBiological-origin harm agent
- weltsRaised skin from impact
burning · searing · swelling · inflammation · neurotoxic · dermatitis · anaphylaxis · allergic reaction
Flexible grasping appendages
- floatBuoyant object or vehicle
- sailShip's wind-catching fabric
- crestHighest point or tuft
- trailingFollowing behind something
dactylozooid · filaments · blue · purple · translucent · gelatinous · bladder
Showing shifting spectral colors
- bluePrimary color; also sad
- purpleHue between crimson and azure
- pinkPale red hue
- translucentPermitting diffused light passage
crested · balloon · inflated · shimmering · vivid · striking · distinctive · beautiful
cnidarian
Stinging aquatic invertebrate
- pelagicOf the open sea
- oceanicOf the sea
- planktonicDrifting in water
drifter · surface dweller · warm waters · Gulf Stream · Atlantic · Pacific · tropical · subtropical · wind-driven · bluebottle
polyp
Fleshy membrane projection
- colonyDependent territorial settlement
- hydrozoanMarine invertebrate with stinging cells
- integratedCombined into a whole
cooperative · aggregate · collective · specialized · division of labor · interdependent · connected
nematocysts
Stinging organelles of cnidarians
- venomInjected animal poison
- envenomationInjection of animal poison
- toxinBiological-origin harm agent
welts · burning · searing · swelling · inflammation · neurotoxic · dermatitis · anaphylaxis · allergic reaction · first aid
tentacles
Flexible grasping appendages
dactylozooid · trailing · filaments · blue · purple · translucent · gelatinous · bladder
iridescent
Showing shifting spectral colors
translucent · crested · balloon · inflated · shimmering · vivid · striking · distinctive · beautiful · deceptive
hazardous
Likely to cause injury
toxic · threatening · beach closure · harmful · potent · severe · lingering · washed up
- siphonophores
- ocean lifeocean, sea, sea creatures, shark, sea life
- coastal wildlifepelican, grey seal, seagull, gull, sandpiper
- sea creaturescrab, lobster, shrimp, jellyfish, octopus
- stinging creaturesbee, wasp, hornet, scorpion, fire ant
- venomous creaturescobra, rattlesnake, scorpion, black widow, coral snake