Ever since I stumbled upon my first one at Navarre Beach, I've been fascinated by Portuguese man-o-wars. They're so bright and colorful and interesting-looking, but so dangerous! Here are a few pictures of a little man-o-war we saw on the North Shore yesterday:
The clear bubble part sits on top of the water while the stinging tentacles (or whatever you'd call them) dangle down. Man-o-wars are different from jellyfish because they have no way to propel themselves through the water -- they just go where the waves take them. The very first man-o-war I saw (pictured below) was the biggest one I've seen yet. It's body was about a foot long and the tentacles stretched five or six feet! (Look at that white shell for perspective.)
You're right. Such pretty colors on them, but so dangerous. Wouldn't want to get stung by one.
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