Stats

Lifespan: Up to 1 yr
Size: Medium
Diet: Carnivore
Activity: Cathemeral
Social: Colony
Biome: Open ocean
Range: Worldwide
Movement: Drifting
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Venom
Status: Uncommon

About

Despite its jellyfish-like appearance, the Portuguese Man o' War is actually a siphonophore — a colonial organism made of many specialized individual zooids acting as one. Its trailing tentacles can extend up to 50 metres, delivering a venomous sting potent enough to kill fish and cause lasting pain in humans.

Life cycle

1.
planula
A tiny ciliated planula drifts in surface waters, settling and budding off the first polyp of the colony.
2.
young colony
Polyps multiply and specialise; a gas-filled float begins to inflate as the colony rises to the surface.
3.
colony
A mature floating colony — sail-like pneumatophore above, long stinging tentacles trailing below.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hydrozoa
Order: Siphonophorae
Family: Physaliidae
Genus: Physalia
Species: Physalia physalis