Rather, they consist of a colony of genetically identical clones, each of which is specialized to carry out a specific function. Slimy invasive fish explosion clogs water supplies after huge floods.Dead whale discovered with strange cut mark leaves scientists baffled.Deadly jellyfish-like creatures wash up on South Carolina beach.Just remember, these amazing creatures are better enjoyed from a distance.
And then you have some that are used for reproduction.” Others are used for the digestion for the gut. Some of them are the defensive ones, the ones that actually have the stinging cells in them. “You have some groups of those animals that are working together to make the float. “They’re really thousands of individual animals making up this one thing,” explained Sasson. Think of a colony of bees, each member has its own job. One man o’ war is actually a group of animals working together. The Portuguese man o’ war uses wind and current to propel itself. They prefer tropical and subtropical water but are found in nearly every ocean. The species are usually in groups, up to 1,000 or more, according to NOAA. Strong onshore winds and storms like hurricanes blow the marine life onto the beach. The species relies entirely on the wind and the currents, they can’t propel themselves. The heat helps to destroy stinging cells that have not fired yet.
The Portuguese man o’ war, related to a jellyfish, fires barbs loaded with toxin when something brushes against their tentacles. Lifeguards flew the purple flag at beaches earlier this year to warn of Portuguese men o’ war. Purple flags flew across Treasure Coast, South Florida and South Carolina beaches indicating dangerous marine life in the water. Fire weather continues in Southern Plainsįlooding prompts evacuations in New Jerseyįather and daughter on surviving lightning strikeĪs spring break revelers flocked to beaches in South Florida and South Carolina recently, so did the dangerous Portuguese man o’ war.