Pacific Man O' War [Physalia utriculus]
Description
Also known as the Blue Bottle, the Pacific Man O' War is smaller than its Atlantic cousin and is found mainly in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It has a similar appearance with a blue, gas-filled bladder that acts as a sail, and long, stinging tentacles that hang below the water. Its sting is painful to humans but generally not as severe as that of the Portuguese Man O' War. It feeds on small marine organisms, which it captures and paralyzes with its tentacles.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Jellyfish, Sea Anemones, and Relatives
Cnidaria
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Hydroids, Fire Corals, and Stinging Anemones
Hydrozoa
|
| Order |
Siphonophorae
Siphonophorae
|
| Family |
Physaliidae
Physaliidae
|
| Genus |
Portuguese Man O' War
Physalia
|