2. Overview of Physalia physalis
• Hydrozoan, not a
jellyfish
• Gas-filled “sail” with a
colony of 4 polyps and
tentacles
• Polyps work together as
a team
3. Lifestyle of Physalia physalis
• Diet
– Small fish and shrimp
• Predators
– Sand crabs, mollusks,
and sea turtles
7. Man of War Stings
• Deadly to small organisms, not to humans
• Stings are extremely painful to humans
8. References
• Riss, R. 2006. Portuguese Man of War,
Physalia physalis.
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2008/nie
mi_riss/interactions.htm
Editor's Notes
Tentacles can stretch up to 50 feet long
DietPrimarily eats shrimp and small fishNematocysts along tentacles are fatal to fish and other small creaturesTentacles wrap around food to bring up to the digestive organs of the Man O’ War, where the fish or other small organism is slowly dissolvedPredatorsFew predators… sand crabs (which sometimes mistake plastic bags for Man O’ Wars and get sick), sea turtles and mollusks (mollusks eat the nematocysts and integrate them into their body as a defense mechanism rather than a primary food source)The fish in the picture, commonly known as Man O’ War fish, have a symbiotic relationship with the Man O’ War - Fish eat small portions of the tentacles (more tolerant to toxins than other fish and more agile to swim away) and feed on other small organisms that the Man O’ War traps - Small portions of tentacles that are eaten is not too harmful to the Man O’ War, as the tentacles can be regenerated - Fish receive protection from Man O’ War and Man O’ War attains the benefit of fooling other fish into thinking the area around tentacles is safe
Found primary in Hawaii and Australia, but can be found along other coasts south of the Equator
