What is a Portuguese man o' war?

Mira (0:00)

Welcome to Science Is Not Boring by kidopoly.com. I'm Mira.

Finn (0:05)

And I'm Finn.

Mira (0:07)

Before we dive in, a big hello to Magnolia, who asked about the Portuguese Manowar and how it is not one animal at all, but a whole lot of them working together, even though everyone thinks it is a jellyfish. This one is for you.

Finn (0:21)

And a very happy sixth birthday to Luca, who listens every day on the way to school with his brother Hugo. We hope you have a fantastic birthday, Luca.

Mira (0:31)

If you haven't already, tap follow wherever you're listening so you never miss an episode.

Finn (0:37)

Wait, Mira, going back to what Magnolia said, how can something look like one animal but actually not be one animal? What does that even mean?

Mira (0:47)

That's exactly what we are exploring today.

We are talking about a creature that completely breaks the rules of biology. In fact, the longest animal in the entire world isn't the blue whale.

Finn (0:59)

It's not? But blue whales are like a hundred feet long.

Mira (1:04)

Nope. The longest recorded animal is a creature that can grow up to 150 feet long, and it's actually thousands of clones stuck together, floating in the deep sea.

Let's dive in.

Finn (1:17)

Thousands of clones stuck together. Are we talking about some kind of deep sea monster from a science fiction movie?

Mira (1:24)

Well, it definitely looks alien. We're talking about an entire category of animals called Cipholyphos.

And the most famous one is exactly what Magnolia asked about, the Portuguese Man O War, also known by its scientific name, Physalia physalis.

Finn (1:41)

I always thought those were just really dangerous jellyfish that wash up on the beach. They look like weird blue or pink balloons that sit on top of the water, right?

Mira (1:51)

They do.

They have a distinct blue-purple coloration, but they are absolutely not jellyfish. A Portuguese Man O War is a Cipholyphos, which means it's a colonial organism. It's made of thousands of individual, genetically identical animals called zoids.

Finn (2:09)

Wait, zoids? So you're telling me it's a bunch of tiny animals wearing a trench coat, pretending to be one big animal?

Mira (2:17)

That is actually the perfect way to describe it.

Every single zoid in that colony starts from the exact same fertilized egg. But as the colony grows, the zoids transform into completely different shapes to do different jobs.

Finn (2:33)

Do they still have their own brains and stomachs? Can they just leave the colony if they get bored?

Mira (2:38)

No, they can't survive on their own. They are totally physically connected, sharing resources.

Imagine if your stomach, your hands and your lungs were all technically separate animals that just agreed to stick together and operate as a single individual to survive.

Finn (2:55)

That is seriously weird. So how many types of zoids are in a Portuguese man-o-war?

Mira (3:01)

Four main types, and each one has a highly specialized mission. It's the ultimate teamwork in nature, and wait until you hear how big they get. The first fluid is the new metaphor. That's the part that looks like a balloon floating on the water.

It can grow up to 12 inches long and sticks about six inches out of the water.

Finn (3:23)

Does it just hold regular air?

Mira (3:25)

It contains atmospheric air, but it uniquely produces and fills the balloon with a high concentration of carbon monoxide. It acts as a sail.

The Portuguese Man O War can't swim on its own, so it floats completely at the mercy of wind and ocean currents. It gets its name because people thought it looked like an 18th century Portuguese warship under full sail.

Finn (3:50)

OK, the balloon part sounds nice, but what about the stingers? That's the part I'm worried about.

Mira (3:56)

Ah, those are the dactylozoids. These zoids form the hunting tentacles, and they are loaded with tiny microscopic capsules called nematocysts, which are coiled venomous harpoons.

Finn (4:09)

How long are these hunting tentacles? Like 10 feet?

Mira (4:14)

Try an average of 30 feet, but they can grow all the way up to 165 feet or 50 meters long.

Finn (4:23)

165 feet? That's like half a football field of stinging tentacles trailing behind a single floating balloon.

Mira (4:30)

It is!

And the tentacles act like a giant, invisible net. When a small fish or crustacean swims into them, the venom paralyzes the prey instantly.

Finn (4:41)

What happens to the fish after that?

Mira (4:44)

That's where the third type of zoid comes in, the gastrozoids. They are the digestive experts.

The tentacles shrink up and pull the paralyzed fish up to the gastrozoids, which spread out and digest the food, passing the nutrients to the rest of the colony.