Physalia jellyfish or Portuguese man-of-war. Photo and video
The Portuguese man-of-war (lat. Physalia physalis) only looks like a jellyfish. In fact, this is a whole colony of heterogeneous organisms coexisting together.
© Photos by Matty Smith; Aaron Ansarov Photography
So, Portuguese man of war consists of four types of polyps. The first polyp is a floating shell (pneumatophore), resembling a transparent air bubble that shimmers in the sun. Sink keeps filling up atmospheric air, enriched with carbon monoxide, which is secreted by a special gland.
This gas-filled bladder, the length of which can reach 30 centimeters, rising above the water, allows an organism from the order of siphonophores to stay afloat. And the multi-colored comb emblazoned on the shell serves as a sail. Other polyps of sea physalia are hidden under the water column. They are grouped, although they are responsible for different functions.
Dactylozooid polyps are hunting threads-tentacles with many stinging cells, the poison of which is dangerous to humans. The tentacles, the length of which in an extended position sometimes reaches 50 meters, are responsible for the defense and food of the Portuguese man-of-war. Along the entire length of the tentacles are strewn with microscopic poisonous capsules that sting and paralyze prey, in particular fish and other small sea creatures. Other members of the colony are already responsible for digesting food.
Each tentacle contains contractile cells that help to pull the catch to the third type of polyps - gastrozooids. When caught prey appears, the tubular “feeding” bodies expand and cover the entire surface of the prey. By covering their prey with digestive juices, they dissolve the victim's flesh, absorbing nutrients.
The last type of polyps - gonozooids - performs the function of reproduction. Physalia are found in soft blue, pink, violet or purple. Moreover, they are characterized by bioluminescence.
In humans, even short-term contact with the Portuguese man-of-war can cause a sharp burning sensation and painful shock. In severe cases, there is difficulty breathing, loss of vision and hearing. A fatal outcome cannot be ruled out.
Do not touch the poisonous boat either in ocean waters or on land. Even in a dried state, the thread of the Portuguese man-of-war has a stinging ability.
Among the few creatures that are resistant to the man-of-war's venom are the tiny railfish that live within its menacing tentacles.
As a rule, Portuguese ships slowly drift in warm waters of the world's oceans, gathering in groups of a thousand or more individuals. The colony moves solely under the influence of wind and current. Only in case of a threat can the Portuguese man-of-war “deflate” its gas bubble in order to hide under water for a short time. Most often it is unique sea creature can be found on Saturday tropical waters Indian and Pacific oceans.
There are many poisonous animals and microorganisms in the world. Often they seem beautiful and you just want to touch them. One of these interesting creatures globe is a physalia that is found in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. They can be found even in the English Channel. In its appearance, it is very reminiscent of jellyfish, which are found in abundance in the seas of our country.
Physalia - jellyfish or not?
Physalia is a colonial hydroid from the order Siphonophora. Outwardly it is very similar to a jellyfish, but it is not one. It belongs to another group of invertebrate organisms - siphonophores.
In total, there are about 160 species of this order in the world, which live mainly in tropical waters. Physalia jellyfish It is one of the species that are dangerous to humans and can even lead to death.
Poisonous physalia
The usual size of physalia is up to approximately 35 centimeters, while the stinging tentacles, which contain stinging cells, can reach incredible sizes - up to 50 meters. It is these cells that are the most dangerous in the colony. Their venom is close in composition to cobra venom and can cause fever, shock, and difficulty breathing in people.
A person exposed to poison in water may drown from painful shock or loss of consciousness. They are dangerous because they move in large colonies that can easily devastate everything in their path.
Physalia: description of the Portuguese boat
Physalia is named after Dr. Marie Physalix, who first discovered and described it. Physalia (Portuguese man-of-war) consists of two sections: siphosomes and pneumatophores.
A pneumatophore is a bubble filled with atmospheric air that allows the body to float on the surface. If necessary, excess air is removed and the poisonous physalia is immersed in water. Groups of zooids extend from the pneumatophore, which are divided into 3 types:
- Gonozooid – sexual zooid;
Gastrozoids – nourishing;
Dactylozoans are hunters. It is in them that the tentacles that branch are located. It is in them that the development of reproductive cells occurs, which then separate from the mother and begin an independent life.
Their main diet consists of small fish, larvae and squid. Physalia itself makes up the diet of some sea turtles and shellfish.
The lifespan of an individual is several months. Reproduces jellyfish physalia in an asexual way. Physalia moves with the help of wind and current. However, with the help of the siphosome, it serves as a rudder and is able to regulate the direction of movement of the colony and move even against the wind.
Poisonous physalia in Phuket
They are found mainly in large groups numbering thousands of individuals. The jellyfish's pneumatophore resembles a small sail, which is why it is often called the Portuguese man-of-war. This name was given by sailors back in the 18th century.
Physalia in tropical seas and is often found in the vicinity of Phuket and neighboring beaches, where they are brought by the monsoons that blow from May to October in those parts. At this time, it is more dangerous than the garbage dumped into the sea, which then forms in.
In September-October 2016, 4 beaches in Phuket were even closed for 2 weeks. This was due to the fact that they were discovered in large quantities– more than 400 individuals. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
The photo shows the habitat of physalia.
Poisonous physalia: how to protect yourself
In case of contact with physalia, it is recommended to see a doctor. There is a lot of conflicting advice regarding first aid for a burn. This could be a rinse. sea water, vinegar, hot water followed by application of ice.
If physalia were found on the surrounding beaches, it is recommended to refrain from swimming during this period. They often wash up on the shore, so you should carefully walk along the beaches so as not to fall on one of them. Even separately lying tentacles are dangerous, also causing burns.
This is interesting: a small fish of the perch family is often found between the tentacles of the siphonophore. She is not afraid of poison and serves as bait for future victims. It feeds on the remains of fish and dead tentacles of physalia.
Physalia colonies in dark time days are capable of creating a multi-colored glow.
Sometimes Portuguese ships fall into the Gulf Stream and are carried by this current into the English Channel. When they accumulate off the coasts of England and France or, for example, near the beaches of Florida, television, radio and print warn the population of the danger.
The “Portuguese man-of-war” is not even one jellyfish, but a colony of one or two hundred jellyfish and polyps. The man-of-war colonies look like unusually elegant balls, often drifting in entire “flotillas” on the surface of the ocean. From time to time, the boat dips the float in water so that the membrane does not dry out.
(www.examen.ru)
Physalia venom is very close in its effect to cobra venom. The introduction of even a small dose under the skin of laboratory animals ended tragically for them. This poison is unusually resistant to drying and freezing, and the tentacles of the siphonophore, which had lain for six (!) years in the refrigerator, perfectly retained their deadly properties.
(old.vesti.ru)
Despite the toxicity of physalia, some sea turtles they eat them in huge quantities. People, of course, do not eat physalia, but they also find uses for them. Farmers in Guadeloupe (Caribbean) and Colombia use dried physalia tentacles as rat poison.
(www.examen.ru)
...there is a representative sea kingdom, to which physalia is not only not an enemy, but, on the contrary, a necessary companion (although friendship is understood here in a very unique way). This is the octopus Tremoctopus violaceus. He calmly breaks off the poisonous threads of the "Portuguese man-of-war" and winds them around his four front "arms". Now the octopus is armed, dangerous and incredibly beautiful (from the octopus's point of view, of course). The tentacles of the physalia do not harm it, but serve as an excellent means of attack.
(www.hiking.ru)
These animals have several names: Latin and very feminine - “physalia” and Russian, sounding warlike - “Portuguese warships”, often shortened simply to “Portuguese boats”. This name itself is mysterious, and if you consider that such a contradictory combination accurately reflects the character of these creatures, then the story about them can intrigue anyone. So who are these mysterious strangers?
It would be more correct to start the story about physalia with their systematic position. These marine animals belong to the class Hydroids, which means that their relatives are such coelenterates as jellyfish, sea anemones, corals, as well as the lesser known porpitas and velellas. Similar to Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish appearance. The body of the physalia is devoid of any skeletal elements; it is not just soft, but very delicate, translucent, of all possible shades sea wave. The appearance of the Portuguese man-of-war can be divided into two parts: an oblong bubble up to 30 cm long, very similar to swim bladder fish, and many tentacles hanging in thick strands below it.
Physalia, or Portuguese man-of-war (Physalia physalis).
The bubble, at first glance, seems to be an analogue of the jellyfish dome, but it is designed fundamentally differently. Unlike the dome of a jellyfish, which is open at the bottom and capable of contracting, the bladder of the physalia is hermetically sealed and filled with air with a high content carbon dioxide, therefore scientifically it is called a pneumatophore (“air carrier”). The pneumatophore prevents the Portuguese man-of-war from sinking, but at the same time, it makes it possible to partially regulate the depth of the dive by changing the concentration of carbon dioxide, and therefore the density air environment. The pneumatophore is equipped with a ridge on top, which gives it sailing properties. For all its apparent fragility, the pneumatophore is quite elastic and durable.
The translucent body of physalia is colored in the entire spectrum of blue: from soft blue to rich turquoise. In many individuals, the pneumatophore above has a pink or magenta-violet color.
But with the underwater part of the physalia everything is much more complicated. What appears to be part of a body from afar is actually a colony of tiny organisms. And in this respect, Portuguese ships are much closer to colonial ones coral polyps than to jellyfish, which are solitary animals. The entire population of the colony is divided into identical groups - cormidia, whose members specialize in performing certain functions. In each cormidia, the leading roles are played by gastrozoans, gonozoids and nectophores.
Close-up of the intricate web of tentacles of the Portuguese Man of War.
Gastrozoids have thin, but unusually long tentacles for such miniature creatures - their length reaches 50 m! The tentacles can contract and carry stinging cells that can shoot poison. They pull the killed prey to their mouth, because the duties of the gastrozoids include catching and digesting lunch. And this banquet is being organized for the sake of gonozoids, who do not know how to hunt, but are responsible for procreation. Periodically, the multiplied gonozoids separate from the mother colony and set off on their own. As truly colonial organisms, they undertake this journey not alone, but in groups that look like a branched tree (called gonodendra). The problem is that gonodendras cannot swim. This is where nectophores, who have not shown themselves for the time being, come to the rescue. Each gonodendra is equipped with one nekotophore, which has a swimming bell like a jellyfish. It contracts and moves the young colony to the surface of the water; over time, it acquires its own pneumatophore and turns into an adult Portuguese man-of-war. In adult physalia, nectophores no longer play a role in movement and again wait in the wings when a change of generations occurs.
The tiny Portuguese man-of-war already has a visible dome and the beginnings of tentacles.
The movement of adult Portuguese man-of-war is amazing. On the one hand, the fragile and primitive members of the colony are not capable of active movements and any meaningful activity. On the other hand, during life, physalia are rarely washed ashore, which cannot be said about highly developed dolphins and giant whales, which often suffer such misfortune. The secret of these animals lies in the pneumatophore. It is attached to the trunk of the colony obliquely and motionlessly - exactly like a tightly stretched sail. When the wind hits lateral surface pneumatophore, the physalia swims, and when it blows at the “bow” or “stern”, it remains motionless on the surface of the water, simply drifting. Thus, gradually turning around their own axis, these animals perform continuous circular migrations, localized mainly in open ocean waters. For this unsurpassed ability in catching the right wind, physalia and were called boats.
Young physalia in which a full-fledged pneumatophore has not yet formed, but the tentacles are already well developed.
It is interesting that among these animals there are born right-handed and left-handed, in which the pneumatophore is deviated to the right or left from the body axis. In practice, this leads to the fact that right-sided and left-sided physalia catch winds of opposite directions, so over time, life literally separates them into different sides. Sailors, finding large concentrations of adult Portuguese ships in the ocean, know for sure that all the “ships” of this armada will have the same sails. However, there is an element over which the drifting flotilla has no control. These are currents.
Strong tides and storm waves carry delicate physalia ashore and then on the sand you can see a mournful picture of a massive “shipwreck”. A seagull decided to feast on the remains.
A romantic story about living ships would be incomplete without revealing dark side their nature. By the nature of their diet, Portuguese man-of-war are predators. The prey of these animals consists mainly of fry, small fish and squids, but the gentle creatures use strong poison to kill them. It has a paralytic effect on prey, and upon contact with human skin leaves burning red welts on it. In high concentrations, the poison penetrates the skin and causes swelling of the larynx, suffocation, cardiac dysfunction, and in especially severe cases, death. If you come into contact with physalia, you should wash the affected area of skin with salt water as soon as possible. It will remove the remaining nematocyst capsules without releasing the poison, and if you re-wash the skin with hot water, this will speed up the breakdown of the toxin that has already entered the skin. Sometimes, after such treatment, it is advised to additionally apply shaving cream to the skin and run a razor over it several times to remove remaining stinging cells. But fresh water It should not be used under any circumstances, as it causes the nematocysts to burst, releasing new portions of poison. Previously, it was recommended to treat the skin with vinegar, but the results of its use are contradictory and this method has now been abandoned.
Among the tentacles of this physalia you can see an unlucky fish.
The main danger of physalia lies in the persistence of their poison and the nematocysts carrying it: even tentacles torn from the colony and individuals that died several days ago can burn. This increases the likelihood of a burn when swimming or accidentally touching a boat washed ashore. Every year, up to 30,000 victims of contact with Portuguese warships are recorded around the world. After storms that wash physalia ashore, some beaches even have to be closed.
Nematocysts of the Indo-Pacific physalia (Physalia utriculus), inside which are coiled stinging threads. When the poison capsule is damaged, they shoot out, delivering the toxin directly to the victim’s tissues.
The Portuguese ships themselves are also not spared from trouble. They are fearlessly fed by webbed octopuses and sunfish, which are immune to poison, as well as loggerhead turtles, whose oral cavity is impenetrable to stinging tentacles. Yantina snails are especially insidious and nudibranch glaucus (glaucus). They use the physalia pneumatophore as shelter and home, and instead of gratitude, they gradually eat their owner. Not so vicious are the small nomeus fish, which constantly stay under the pneumatophores of boats. Although they pinch off pieces of tentacles, they do not eat them completely, finding in their plexus reliable protection from large fish. Good neighbors of physalia are yellowjacks, which often swim in the midst of “fleets”.
Two glaucuses (Glaucus atlanticus) are attempting to kill this Portuguese man-of-war.
There are two types of physalia known in the world: the Portuguese man-of-war, which lives in Atlantic Ocean, and the Indo-Pacific physalia, whose name eloquently indicates that it can be found in Indian and Pacific Oceans. The Indo-Pacific physalia differs from its counterpart in its smaller size (pneumatophore length up to 16 cm), one long tentacle and less toxicity: not a single fatal outcome has been recorded with its participation.
And this physalia was lucky. She floats calmly in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, surrounded by good neighbors- nomeus fish (Nomeus gronovii).
Many people have encountered a jellyfish at least once in their lives. This meeting was not pleasant for everyone, since some species sting upon contact with the skin, that is, they leave burns, and often very painful ones. The Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish, among other things, is also famous for this.
A little about jellyfish
Maybe, most people have encountered these organisms in one way or another. They are absolutely extraordinary and fascinating in the water, but on land they don’t look so impressive. We are talking about jellyfish - a stage of development of some organisms. They may look very different, but they also have something in common, so that even those who see them for the first time will be able to recognize them quite easily: they are often almost transparent and resemble a dome or parachute in shape.
There is a huge variety of jellyfish living in different parts planets, so you can collide with them both on southern resort, and in northern latitudes. Usually most of them are not too dangerous, although such a neighborhood can hardly be called pleasant when you want to swim in the warm sea. There are also several species traditionally classified as jellyfish, which are extremely dangerous to humans. "The Man of Portugal" is one of the most serious of them. At the same time as its beautiful and unusual form, it is terribly poisonous. What kind of jellyfish is this?
"Portuguese man-of-war" - where does this name come from?
She really is very beautiful. swim bladder unusual shape, iridescent in the light, purple on top and turning blue below, long threads of tentacles. From the water, it may not be visible at all to those who are focused on something else. You can also mistake it for a rubber cap or bubble, especially seeing it for the first time.
But do not be deceived by the beauty demonstrated by the “Portuguese man-of-war” - this jellyfish is in second place in terms of danger to humans. But where does this come from? unusual name? Physalia - and this is the scientific name of this creature - looks like the sails of a Portuguese warship, bright and noticeable.
Description and features
The "Portuguese man-of-war" jellyfish, a photo or drawing of which almost everyone has probably seen in a textbook on a school subject." The world around us", - this, strictly speaking, is not one creature, but a whole colony belonging to the order of siphonophores.
A transparent bubble up to 30 centimeters in size, visible above the water, is filled with gas and serves to support the creature on the surface of the water, and also to some extent acts as a rudder. Below it, the siphosome is asymmetrically located - bundles of processes that perform certain functions to ensure the life of the colony. The “Portuguese boat” moves due to the current and wind, without taking any action independent actions due to the lack of relevant authorities.
This creature has long tentacles, which when extended can reach 50 meters. And at the same time, they are poisonous, and can be extremely dangerous for some categories of people; even deaths have been recorded.
Physalia mainly feeds on zooplankton and small fish. They, in turn, are eaten by some shellfish. Well, people should just avoid them.
Habitats
You want to see such beauty with your own eyes, and not in a picture, so it’s not surprising that so many people want to see the “Portuguese man-of-war” for themselves. Where does this amazing creature live?
As a rule, physalia prefers warm seas and latitude, occurring in the Mediterranean and Caribbean seas, as well as off the coast of Australia and Japan. However, currents often throw them into colder places, and when their accumulations are observed near popular beaches in England, France, Florida, etc., all media announce the alarm, and all services prepare to treat the burns of careless and inattentive swimmers.
Danger
As many people know, you should be especially careful not with the dome, but with the tentacles, where the stinging cells are located. The "Portuguese Man of War" is no exception to this, especially since its poison is quite strong. Tactile contact with the siphosome feels like a blow from a whip or a discharge of electricity - it is a very strong and sharp pain. Burn marks immediately appear, which can become inflamed in the future.
Children, allergy sufferers, people with chronic diseases, etc. should be especially careful. And it wouldn’t hurt for others to keep their eyes open when swimming in the warm sea, and promptly sail away when they see something similar to a “Portuguese man-of-war.” This is truly a case where it's better to be on the safe side. By the way, it is worth remembering that even a physalia thrown onto land remains dangerous for some time, so you should not approach it at all, much less touch it.
Consequences of the meeting
Apart from the pain and burning of the skin in contact with the physalia, general health also rarely remains good: the victim may suffer from chills and nausea, may feel pain in the heart, and sometimes even experience spasms and convulsions. The discomfort may last for several days, after which it will pass. In some difficult cases lesions of the central nervous system and spasms of the respiratory system are observed, hematopoiesis suffers.
There are also known cases of deaths after encountering physalia, but most of them occurred in weakened organisms. Do not neglect the basic safety rules, because it is not so difficult. And, of course, you should closely monitor your children if there is reason to believe that there is a cluster of Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish nearby in the sea. A photo of these creatures, of course, will retain impressions of their beauty for a long time, but scars left on the skin for life are unlikely to evoke pleasant memories.
First aid and further actions
First of all, after contact has occurred, you need to get out of the water so as not to drown. Under no circumstances should you try to rub the mucus or wash it off. fresh water- this activates the stinging cells, so that these actions will cause even more terrible pain to the victim. Usually the acute burning sensation goes away within a few minutes, but the discomfort may persist for several days.
There is an opinion that the surest way to neutralize the poison for which the Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish is famous is three percent vinegar, which must be moistened with the skin. However, there is also an opposite point of view, according to which this remedy absolutely not recommended. If the poison gets into the eyes or the pain does not go away for a long time, and there are doubts about a successful outcome, it is best to immediately contact local doctors.
Treatment of burns
Unlike most other jellyfish, an encounter with a physalia is unlikely to ever be erased from the victim’s memory. Actions after providing first aid depend on how the victim who collided with the “Portuguese man-of-war” feels. Burns often become inflamed and irritating salt water, so what if unpleasant meeting at sea occurred immediately after arrival, this can greatly ruin your vacation. For a few days, there may be no time for entertainment at all due to the unsuitable state of health, but then everything will only get better. Burn marks may last a lifetime, although they will fade and become less noticeable over time. To some extent, this can even be considered an adventure.