Physalia physalis. Portuguese Man-of-War jellyfish washed up at the Flagler access on New Smyrna Beach. Photo courtesy of Nondas Hebda.
Here’s a beautiful photo of a Portuguese Man-of-War jellyfish taken and shared by Nondas Hebda. It washed up on New Smyrna Beach near the Flagler Avenue beach access. Spring often brings strong easterly winds for extended periods of time, which blows many of the inhabitants of the Gulf Stream and the Sargassum Sea onto Florida’s Atlantic beaches.
Notice that the blue/purple tentacles appear curled up. They are. But the jellyfish can extend them to capture prey or defend itself. That’s why you’ll often read advice to stay 200 feet from a large Man-of-War. They do have control over their tentacles.
I sometimes receive criticism for referring to the Man-of-War as a jellyfish, since it is not a single animal, but is a collection of several animals that all live together. It is a colonial animal known as a siphonophore.
The reason a jellyfish is called a jellyfish is that it contains a jelly-like tissue called mesoglea. Some types of jellyfish have more mesoglea than others. The typical Scyphozoan jellyfish or “true jellyfish,” like a sea nettle or moon jelly, has a lot more mesoglea (jelly) than a Man-of-War, Blue Button, or By-the-Wind Sailor. Nevertheless, the Man-of-War still has mesogleal tissue and so it is not incorrect to refer to it as a jellyfish.
Thanks to Nondas for sharing this beautiful photo with us!
