Portuguese Man-of-War

The Portuguese Man-of-War, also known as a bluebottle, is a marine invertebrate. It gets its name from the shape of its upper polyp which resembles the inflated sail of a old style warship. It is often incorrectly thought of as a jellyfish.National Geographic: Portuguese Man-of-War The man-of-war is very commonly seen in the Sargasso Sea and is also found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as the Caribbean Sea.Animal Diversity Web: Portuguese Man-of-War

The Portuguese Man-of-War is a transparent blue and purple entity, comprised of four polyps.Marine Invertebrates of Bermuda:Portuguese Man-Of-War (Physalia Physalis) The first is the upper polyp which is filled with gas, and extends above the surface of the water. The second, third and fourth polyps are responsible for feeding, reproduction and capturing prey.South Carolina Department Of Natural Resources: The Portuguese Man-Of-War The individual cells on the outer surface of the tentacles are filled with venom, which is used to kill small fish and other prey.National Geographic: Portuguese Man-of-War The sensory cells for touch and detecting temperature are found in the skin of the tentacles around the mouth.Animal Diversity Web: Portuguese Man-of-War

A Portuguese Man-of-War cannot swim; its movements are dependent on wind speed, direction and water currents. Much the way humans can be either right-handed or left-handed, the Portuguese Man-of-War can be left-sided or right-sided. If the Portuguese Man-of-War is left sided it will drift at a 45 degree angle to the right of the wind, and if it is right sided, will drift to the left in the same manner.Animal Diversity Web: Portuguese Man-of-War

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• EnchantedLearning.com: Portuguese Man-of-War Info And Printout

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