It looks good, but you can’t touch this kind of jellyfish easily!

Do you know how to do the "Jellyfish Hand Gesture Dance" that was popular on Tik Tok before?

Open your palm, pinch your fingers and pull them back, retract your fingers, and open them again, and you will get a simplified version of a jellyfish.

Picture from TikTok | funkycool

However, not all jellyfish are so cute and harmless. For example, today’s protagonist, the Portuguese man-of-war, is a jellyfish with extremely high appearance, high toxicity and great appeal.

It is just a colony containing many polyps and medusa, not a true jellyfish.

We found that it looked a little different from other jellyfish. It did not have the flowing umbrella cap like other jellyfish.

Where does the Portuguese man-of-war get its name?

The Portuguese man-of-war is mainly composed of three parts: the bladder that floats on the sea surface all year round, which serves as a floating air sac and also acts as a sail; the dense "forest" in the middle is mainly a nutrient body used to digest food; and the tentacles with an average length of 10 meters floating in the sea below are its "survival tools", which grow thousands of stinging cells and are used for hunting.

Portuguese man-of-war structure

The part exposed above the sea has a pointed front end, a blunt back end, and a flat bottom, which is extremely similar to Jigong's monk's hat, hence the name.

The Portuguese man-of-war has another cool name - the Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish.

If you turn the Portuguese man-of-war's transparent float upside down, its appearance resembles a 16th-century Portuguese warship, a "bathtub" hull.

Are there Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish in our country?

The Portuguese man-of-war is a coelenterate without a power system. There is a luminous membrane crown on the dorsal ridge of its floating bladder, which can adjust its direction on its own and float in the sea all year round with the current and tides.

It is mainly distributed in the tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, while the bluebottle jellyfish, which belongs to the same genus as the Portuguese man-of-war, is mainly distributed in the Pacific Ocean.

Image from Wikipedia

Although Portuguese man-of-war has appeared in the tropical and subtropical waters south of Fujian, my country, it is the blue bottle Portuguese man-of-war with less toxicity, smaller size and fewer tentacles.

Although it comes from a "blue bottle", its toxicity should not be underestimated!

The Portuguese man-of-war is as toxic as a cobra!

It is precisely because of its beautiful and harmless appearance that countless people around the world have paid the price for their curiosity. The toxicity of the Portuguese man-of-war can even be ranked in the top ten jellyfish toxicity.

As early as 2000, the mortality rate of swimmers attacked by Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish was as high as 68%, and only a few escaped unscathed, reaching the horrifying level where even if they did not die, they would be crippled.

Portuguese man-of-war on the beach, image from Wikipedia

The less toxic blue-bottle jellyfish also attacks more than 30,000 people in Australia each year. Although no one dies, the statistic is indeed terrifying.

Even if a Portuguese man-of-war is washed up on the beach and is already dying, as long as it has not dried up, its stinging cells can release toxins to attack. So, if you see ribbons or plastic bags on the beach, don't pick them up immediately, because they are likely to be Portuguese man-of-wars washed up on the beach.

What would happen if you were attacked by a Portuguese man-of-war?

The tentacles of the Portuguese man-of-war floating in the sea are long and thin, making them difficult to spot immediately in the sea. Once entangled, the consequences can be disastrous!

The toxins released by Portuguese man-of-war are classified as neurotoxins.

Mild stings will cause local symptoms, with erythema and electric shock-like pain appearing at the place where the tentacles touched. Portuguese man-of-war toxins are common allergens for most people or dogs, so severe stings or those with allergic constitutions will immediately cause erythema or even skin necrosis, but the erythema will dissipate in about a day or two.

The arm stung by the Portuguese man-of-war, the picture comes from the Internet, please contact us if there is any infringement

Jellyfish toxins are mainly proteins, and their active ingredients can be roughly divided into hemolysis, local skin necrosis, and lethal factors.

Moderate or severe stings can cause systemic poisoning, and symptoms will appear within minutes or hours. The nervous system will show headaches and discomfort, the circulatory system will show allergic reactions, hemolysis, and a slow heart rate, and other symptoms may cause anaphylactic shock. In severe cases, death may occur due to lung failure.

Predators of Portuguese Man-of-War

So powerful? Are there any creatures in the sea that dare to approach it?

The answer is, of course!

The loggerhead turtle, with its "thick skin and flesh", is the undisputed natural enemy of the Portuguese man-of-war. Its outer skin is a natural protective shell, making it difficult for the stinging cells of the Portuguese man-of-war to penetrate and inject toxins.

With this layer of protection, the Portuguese man-of-war and the loggerhead turtle "exchanged identities", and the Portuguese man-of-war became a "delicacy" in the eyes of the loggerhead turtle, which would tear it apart and eat it clean once it encountered it.

Loggerhead sea turtle, image from Wikipedia

The Portuguese man-of-war has also been ruthlessly included in the regular diet of the blanket octopus (don’t I, a Portuguese man-of-war, have any dignity?). To the blanket octopus, the tentacles of the Portuguese man-of-war can be used to protect itself, and everything else is delicious.

Friends of Portuguese Man-of-War

Clownfish, bartolo trevally, and frigatefish are all "friends" that have a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with the Portuguese man-of-war.

The mucous membranes on their bodies will not stimulate the stinging cells of the Portuguese man-of-war, so they will not be attacked by the tentacles of the Portuguese man-of-war. They can hide in the tentacles of the Portuguese man-of-war when being chased by other fish, and the attacks of other fish on them become a source of food for the Portuguese man-of-war.

Image from Wikipedia

Of course, if the prey is a loggerhead turtle or a sunfish, the Portuguese man-of-war is in big trouble!

The key! The key! How to save yourself when you encounter a Portuguese man-of-war?

First of all, of course, stay away from the dangerous place to avoid being attacked by Portuguese man-of-war again. If the body has symptoms of paralysis or convulsions, immediately ask for help from people around you.

Then, remember to immediately remove the tentacles that remain on the skin. Do not use clothes, hands, etc. to clean them roughly, but use tweezers to pull them out to prevent the stinging cells from being pressed deeper.

Finally, the wound should be rinsed repeatedly and for a long time, using a large amount of seawater or light salt water. It is not suitable to use clean water, because clean water will change the salt concentration of the solution inside and outside the stinging cells and stimulate the unfired nematocysts. It is also not suitable to apply ice, so soak it in warm water of about 40 degrees.

Local symptoms can be treated in this way, but if the situation is serious, you still need to be hospitalized for treatment in time!

There are many beautiful and attractive animals and plants in nature. Don't touch unfamiliar creatures just because of curiosity.

Image from Wikipedia

END

Review expert: Li Weiyang, a well-known science blogger.

Tadpole Musical Notation original article, please indicate the source when reprinting

Editor/Xiao Xitushuo