Portuguese+Man+O'+War


 * __[[image:Portuguese-Man-o-War-01.jpg width="320" height="240" align="right"]]Common Name:__** Portuguese man o' war

__**Phyla:**__ Cnidaria

__**Class:**__ Hydrozoa

__**Scientific Name:**__ //Physalia physalis//
 * __Location:__** Salt Water and along beaches

__**Size:**__ Float 15 inches long, 5 inches wide; tentacles up to 165 feet long.

__**Habitat:**__ Open ocean. Bays and beaches during strong onshore winds. Most commonly located in tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific and Indian oceans, and the northern Atlantic Gulf Stream, although found in warm seas throughout the world.


 * __[[image:man-o-war.jpg width="169" height="338" align="left"]]Life Cycle:__** Two distinct body forms: the asexual polyp and the sexual medusa. Most familiar in the medusa form, adult jellyfish reproduce in this stage as the male releases sperm into the water and the female gathers the sperm to her mouth where she holds her eggs. As the fertilized eggs develop into larvae, they detach from the "mother" and drift through the water, eventually settling onto the sea bottom.

__**Male and Female Differences:**__ Males grow much larger then females grow.
 * __Human Impact:__** Responsible for up to 10,000 human stings in Australia each summer, particularly on the east coast, with some others occurring off the coast of South Australia and Western Australia alone.[[image:sting.jpg width="327" height="209" align="right"]] Humans can't do much because these creatures are so venomous and there are so many of them that its almost pointless to try and kill off a species or get rid of a lot of them.

__**Facts:**__
 * Unlike most jelly fish who tend to live up to a year, these only live between 3-5 months.
 * Their stings have caused several deaths.


 * Zookeeper: Kenzie Davidson**

__**References:**__
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