Four Hidden Species of Portuguese Man-O’-War
owl writes:
https://crookedtimber.org/2024/11/11/occasional-paper-four-hidden-species-of-portuguese-man-o-war/
There's been a a certain amount of negativity floating around lately. So, let's talk about a toxic, venomous freak of nature and the parasite that afflicts it.
Biology warning, this gets slightly squicky.
Let's start with the toxic, venomous freak of nature: the Portuguese man-o'-war.
Have you ever seen a Portuguese Man o'War? -If you've spent a lot of time in warm ocean waters, you've probably encountered one of these guys. They're hard to miss! They come in a variety of colors - pink, blue, purple - and they're pretty prominent, floating on the surface of the ocean like discarded party balloons. And if you've ever been stung by one, well, you probably remember that. Their stings aren't lethal to humans, but they're welt-inducing and painful.
So it's a jellyfish. Except it isn't really: it's several jellyfish, smooshed together. And here's where the "freak of nature" part kicks in.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.07.10.602499v2.full
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