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Where is the Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish found? Physalia. What precautions should you take?

Portuguese man-of-war, physalia, bluebottle jellyfish are the most famous names this jellyfish. Lives in warm waters (Florida, Cuba, Mediterranean Sea, Australia, Japan). Often the Gulf Stream brings them to the shores of England and France. When they accumulate off the coasts of England and France or, for example, near the beaches of Florida, television, radio and the press warn the population of the danger.

Jellyfish are poisonous even when washed ashore. The shoots reach a length of up to 10 meters (which is like a thread in the sand).
« Portuguese man of war"received its name for its multi-colored swim bladder, which is shaped like the sail of a medieval Portuguese sailing ship. The lower part of the bubble is blue, and the upper is bright red, while the bubble constantly shimmers with purple colors. The bell of this jellyfish shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow from blue to purple, similar to a rubber cap.

Beauty, however, is deceiving.
Many people mistakenly attribute "Portuguese man-of-war" to jellyfish. In fact, they belong to the order of siphonophores ("siphonophora physalia"), which can only move under the influence of wind and water currents. The length of the tentacles of the "Portuguese man-of-war" can reach 50 meters, and contact with them is dangerous fatal.

The poison of the "ships" is very dangerous. Allergy sufferers are especially affected by it, who are advised to immediately consult a doctor in case of contact with physalia, otherwise the matter may end in death. The most common consequence of contact with a “ship” is long-term pain at the burn site and inflammation of the wound. A person may develop nausea, chills, and heart pain.
If a person touches it, blisters will appear on the skin like a burn. It will hurt for about 5 hours. Wiping off the mucus will not help, on the contrary, it will only get worse.
Doctors strongly advise not to wash off the poison of the "Portuguese Man of Man" fresh water because it will only make the pain worse. A reliable remedy that will relieve an unpleasant burning sensation is three percent vinegar, which should be moistened with the affected areas.
The general condition will also worsen and will last for several days. When you see this beauty in the water, immediately swim as far away from it as possible. Turtles feed on these jellyfish.

In any case, if you feel a sharp pain, as if from a whiplash or electric shock, you can safely scream. Firstly, from surprise, and secondly, you may urgently need help. Physalia venom is very close in its effect to cobra venom. The introduction of even a small dose under the skin of laboratory animals ended tragically for them. If you are allergic, then help should be immediate; if not, then you should still be prepared for some unpleasant consequences.

First of all, quite long-term pain at the burn site followed by inflammation of the wound. Muscle twitching, chills, nausea, vomiting may develop, all of which can result in pain in the heart. Our famous traveler Yuri Senkevich described his condition after contact with the “ship” as severe and quite long-lasting. And the worst thing is that sea water then it irritates the wound for a long time, and if such a nuisance happened in the first days of rest, then only you can decide what to do. The only thing we can safely advise is to consult a doctor, and not be content with the ointments that will be offered to you at the hotel (along with sympathetic glances).

In the event that you are not vacationing on a vacation package, and for some reason you do not have insurance, do not despair. In most countries there are free hospitals, and some of them give a head start to Russian paid ones. And no insurance is required, which is interesting.

Dangerous beauty
So, burns are not always fatal, although the Portuguese man-of-war is considered the second most dangerous jellyfish in the world (in the strict sense of the word, it is not exactly a jellyfish, but a whole colony of one or two hundred jellyfish and polyps).
A doctor is desirable, or rather, even mandatory, to relieve intoxication and infection. The mark remains, perhaps, for life, but fades and fades over the years... And who knows, maybe it will become a wonderful memory, or, perhaps, a source of some pride for you?

Even if you are an excellent swimmer, water is always not the most native element for a person. Of course, you shouldn’t be afraid and get lost in it; you just need to strive to love, know and understand it. Like many other things in life, probably.

Portuguese man of war or physalia(lat. Physalia physalis) is a floating colony of polyps that looks like a single organism. Its tentacles contain a large number of stinging cells that are dangerous to humans.

Description

Externally, a Portuguese man-of-war (lat. Physalia physalis) resembles a jellyfish, only instead of a dome, the physalia has a large bubble filled with ordinary air big amount carbon monoxide, which keeps it on the surface of the water. This bubble in appearance resembles the sail of an 18th-century Portuguese ship, which is why the animal was given the name Portuguese man-of-war. Other important difference physalia from jellyfish is that, unlike jellyfish, it is not one multicellular organism, but a colonial organism consisting of specialized individual protozoa of the same species, called polyps or zooids. These polyps are connected to each other and are physiologically integrated in such a way that they cannot survive separately and therefore must exist together and act as one animal. In what follows, for simplicity, we will often refer to the man-of-war as one organism, but you must remember that in general this is not entirely true.

The sail of the Portuguese man-of-war is bilaterally symmetrical, with tentacles only on one edge. Translucent. The predominant color is blue or purple, sometimes pink or purple is found. The sail reaches 30 cm in length and can rise 15 cm above the water. It is equipped with a “siphon”, with the help of which the physalia can release air and briefly go under water. This mechanism is used as a defensive reaction when attacked. But natural enemies the boat doesn't have much. Only a few can hunt them - the turtles' mouth is very hard, and the poison does not get into the tissues.

Usually the length of the tentacles does not exceed half a meter. But it is not uncommon for them to grow up to 10 m in length. There are documented cases of discovering Portuguese man-of-war with 30-meter tentacles! These tentacles continuously scour the water in search of small fish and small planktonic animals. The boat pulls the stung prey to the dome, where the digestive polyps, the so-called gastrozoids, which envelop the victim and digest with the help of special secreting enzymes.

Habitat

Found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. Always stays near the surface of the water. Since he has no means of transportation, he moves with the currents and wind. Commonly found in warm tropical and sub-tropical tropical waters, but it can easily be carried into colder northern waters. There are known cases of physalia being discovered off the coast of Canada and Great Britain. Rarely seen alone, and if one Portuguese man-of-war has been spotted, there are almost certainly others nearby.

At high tide you may find yourself close to shore. Strong wind and the waves are capable of carrying a Portuguese man-of-war onto land. Once on land for some time (up to a day), it is capable of stinging. You can often find news about the closure of entire beaches when, after storms, the coast is left strewn with dangerous animals.

The record for the number of casualties among people affected by the Portuguese man-of-war is held by Australia. Every year, especially in summer, up to 10,000 cases of burns (non-fatal) are recorded here. It occurs especially often in east coast continent.

Physalia poison

When a person is burned by the tentacles of a Portuguese man-of-war, a person experiences very severe pain. Red welts remain at the site of the bite that do not subside for several days. The pain goes away within 1-3 hours, depending on the person’s age and individual tolerance to the poison. The main danger of a bite is that the poison can penetrate the lymph nodes and cause an allergic reaction, including swelling of the larynx, blockage of the airways, and heart failure. Fever and shock sometimes occur, and in rare cases, death.

Medical intervention is required when large quantities burns, difficulty breathing and pain that does not stop for more than 3 hours after the bite. Treatment begins with washing the wounds with a 3-5% vinegar solution (ordinary fresh water destroys cells with poison, increasing pain) - this removes those that have not yet “worked” stinging cells. Modern research However, it is not recommended to use vinegar to treat burns, since in some cases it only worsens the symptoms.

Symbiosis

The Portuguese man-of-war swims surrounded by some species of fish that are not susceptible to its poison - juvenile military fish, coolihoo and “homeless” clown fish. The latter can move freely inside dangerous tentacles physalia - due to fish mucus, the stinging cells do not work. Other fish stay near the sail, where there are not many stinging cells.

It is believed that in this way small fish avoid others predatory fish. But such a symbiosis is also very useful for the Portuguese boat - small fish attracts other unwary fish, which he preys on.

Video

Portuguese man of war

Portuguese man of war washed ashore on the beach

There are many poisonous animals and microorganisms in the world. Often they seem beautiful and you just want to touch them. One of these interesting creatures globe is a physalia that is found in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. They can be found even in the English Channel. In its appearance, it is very reminiscent of jellyfish, which are found in abundance in the seas of our country.

Physalia - jellyfish or not?

Physalia is a colonial hydroid from the order Siphonophora. Outwardly it is very similar to a jellyfish, but it is not one. It belongs to another group of invertebrate organisms - siphonophores.

In total, there are about 160 species of this order in the world, which live mainly in tropical waters. Physalia jellyfish It is one of the species that are dangerous to humans and can even lead to death.

Physalia - danger, poison

The usual size of physalia is up to approximately 35 centimeters, while the stinging tentacles, which contain stinging cells, can reach incredible sizes - up to 50 meters. It is these cells that are the most dangerous in the colony. Their venom is close in composition to cobra venom and can cause fever, shock, and difficulty breathing in people.

A person exposed to poison in water may drown from painful shock or loss of consciousness. They are dangerous because they move in large colonies that can easily devastate everything in their path.

Physalia: description of the Portuguese boat

Physalia is named after Dr. Marie Physalix, who first discovered and described it. Physalia (Portuguese man-of-war) consists of two sections: siphosomes and pneumatophores.

Pneumatophore - a bubble filled with atmospheric air, which allows the body to stay on the surface. If necessary, excess air is removed and the poisonous physalia is immersed in water. Groups of zooids extend from the pneumatophore, which are divided into 3 types:

Their main diet consists of small fish, larvae and squid. Physalia itself makes up the diet of some of the sea turtles and shellfish.
The lifespan of an individual is several months. Reproduces jellyfish physalia asexually. Physalia moves with the help of wind and current. However, with the help of the siphosome, it serves as a rudder and is able to regulate the direction of movement of the colony and move even against the wind.

Poisonous physalia in Phuket

They are found mainly in large groups numbering thousands of individuals. The jellyfish's pneumatophore resembles a small sail, which is why it is often called the Portuguese man-of-war. This name was given by sailors back in the 18th century.
Physalia in tropical seas and is often found in the vicinity of Phuket and neighboring beaches, where they are brought by the monsoons that blow from May to October in those parts. At this time, it is more dangerous than the garbage dumped into the sea, which then forms in.

In September-October 2016, 4 beaches in Phuket were even closed for 2 weeks. This was due to the fact that they were found in large numbers - more than 400 individuals. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
The photo shows the habitat of physalia.

Physalia poison: how to protect yourself

In case of contact with physalia, it is recommended to see a doctor. There is a lot of conflicting advice regarding first aid for a burn. This could be a rinse. sea water, vinegar, hot water followed by application of ice.

If physalia were found on the surrounding beaches, it is recommended to refrain from swimming during this period. They often wash up on the shore, so you should carefully walk along the beaches so as not to fall on one of them. Even separately lying tentacles are dangerous, also causing burns.

Portuguese man-of-war, physalia, bluebottle jellyfish are the most famous names of this jellyfish. Lives in warm waters (Florida, Cuba, Mediterranean Sea, Australia, Japan). Often the Gulf Stream brings them to the shores of England and France. When they accumulate off the coasts of England and France or, for example, near the beaches of Florida, television, radio and the press warn the population of the danger.

Jellyfish are poisonous even when washed ashore. The shoots reach a length of up to 10 meters (which is like a thread in the sand).
The "Portuguese man-of-war" got its name from its multi-colored swim bladder, which is shaped like the sail of a medieval Portuguese sailing vessel. The lower part of the bubble is blue, and the upper is bright red, while the bubble constantly shimmers with purple colors. The bell of this jellyfish shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow from blue to purple, similar to a rubber cap.

Beauty, however, is deceiving.
Many people mistakenly attribute "Portuguese man-of-war" to jellyfish. In fact, they belong to the order of siphonophores ("siphonophora physalia"), which can only move under the influence of wind and water currents. The length of the Portuguese Man of War tentacles can reach 50 meters, and contact with them can be fatal.

The poison of the "ships" is very dangerous. Allergy sufferers are especially affected by it, who are advised to immediately consult a doctor in case of contact with physalia, otherwise the matter may end in death. The most common consequence of contact with a “ship” is long-term pain at the burn site and inflammation of the wound. A person may develop nausea, chills, and heart pain.
If a person touches it, blisters will appear on the skin like a burn. It will hurt for about 5 hours. Wiping off the mucus will not help, on the contrary, it will only get worse.
Doctors strongly advise not to wash off the Man of Man of Portugal poison with fresh water, as this will only make the pain worse. A reliable remedy that will relieve an unpleasant burning sensation is three percent vinegar, which should be moistened with the affected areas.
The general condition will also worsen and will last for several days. When you see this beauty in the water, immediately swim as far away from it as possible. Turtles feed on these jellyfish.

In any case, if you feel a sharp pain, as if from a whiplash or electric shock, you can safely scream. Firstly, from surprise, and secondly, you may urgently need help. Physalia venom is very close in its effect to cobra venom. The introduction of even a small dose under the skin of laboratory animals ended tragically for them. If you are allergic, then help should be immediate; if not, then you should still be prepared for some unpleasant consequences.

First of all, quite long-term pain at the burn site followed by inflammation of the wound. Muscle twitching, chills, nausea, vomiting may develop, all of which can result in pain in the heart. Our famous traveler Yuri Senkevich described his condition after contact with the “ship” as severe and quite long-lasting. And the worst thing is that sea water then irritates the wound for a long time, and if such a nuisance happened in the first days of rest, then only you can decide what to do. The only thing we can safely advise is to consult a doctor, and not be content with the ointments that will be offered to you at the hotel (along with sympathetic glances).

Portuguese man of war(lat. Physalia physalis) is a species of colonial hydroids from the order of siphonophores, the colony of which consists of polypoid and medusoid individuals.

This coelenterate creature is often called a jellyfish, however Portuguese man of war not a jellyfish, but a siphonophore - a colony of coelenterates. Such a colony includes polypoid and medusoid individuals living as a single harmonious organism. Portuguese man-of-war are very common marine animals - they can be found in almost all warm-water areas of the oceans and seas - from latitudes Japanese Islands to Australia and New Zealand. Sometimes the winds drive such masses of these coelenterate organisms to the shore that it feels as if the coastal waters are covered with colored jelly.

The dome of the Portuguese man-of-war is very beautiful, and usually shimmers with blue-purple colors with purple-red tints. Its length along the “body” can reach 20-25 cm, but the usual dimensions are more modest.

The siphonophore owes its unusual name - "Portuguese man-of-war" (sometimes - "Portuguese man-of-war") to the shape of its sail-dome, rising above the surface of the water. Indeed, it is very reminiscent of the military sailing ships of the 15th century that plied the seas during the time of Henry the Navigator.

The trunk of a colony of cormidia (zooids) extends from the dome of the physalia. Cormidia are composed of representatives of three types of polyps - feeding zooids (gastrozooids), hunting zooids (dactylozooids) and one sexual zooid (gonozooid).
Each of the dactylozooids bears a tentacle designed for catching prey. The tentacles are capable of very strong contraction in length (sometimes by 70 times!), so the length of the underwater “mane” of physalia can vary from several meters to tens of meters (there are individual colonies with tentacles up to 50 meters long).

The hunting tentacles of dactylozooids are capable of paralyzing prey with the powerful poison of goads and pulling food for processing by gastrozooids. Physalia feed on small invertebrates, fish, squid and other marine life.
A formidable weapon of physalia - the poison of the tentacles is very dangerous for many inhabitants of the sea, as well as for people. Fatalities from human contact with physalia are enough a rare event, but dangerous injuries and burns occur annually in many coastal areas where beach holiday and water sports.

Help for physalia affected by poison consists in carefully removing fragments of tentacles and treating the contact area with a 3-5% solution acetic acid. Treatment with fresh water aggravates the condition and increases the pain, so under no circumstances should you wash the burn. The victim should be immediately taken to a medical facility to provide qualified assistance - for people in poor health, a close “acquaintance” with the Portuguese man-of-war can be fatal.