The Portuguese boat belongs to the benthos group. Why is a Portuguese boat dangerous for a person? What precautions should be taken

Amazingly beautiful creation of nature - portuguese boat(physalia) - as dangerous as it is attractive.

Portuguese boat (lat. Physalia physalis) belong to very primitive, but very interesting invertebrate organisms - siphonophores, close relatives of jellyfish familiar to all of us. This is perhaps one of the most numerous inhabitants of the ocean surface.

In some physalia, the swim bladder protrudes above the surface of the water, acting as a sail. From the hydrostatic apparatus (pneumatophore), a special trunk goes down, to which the remaining individuals of the colony are attached, their number can reach several hundred. In short, physalia are not a separate organism. Physalia belong to the colonial forms. Numerous tentacles of physalia are equipped with a huge number of stinging cells containing a poisonous secret. The tentacles are almost colorless, they merge with sea ​​water and difficult to see for swimmers.
The length of the animal (pneumatophore) is about 20 - 30 centimeters. Dactylozoids reach 50 meters in size, but very often they are in a "folded" state.

It is a colony of four types of polyps coexisting together. Each of them performs the function assigned to it.
Thanks to the first polyp - the gas bubble, the beauty of which we admire, the Portuguese boat keeps afloat and can drift in the waters of the ocean. Another polyps, dactylozoids, are trapping tentacles, along the entire vast length of which there are stinging cells that inject poison into prey. Small fish, fry, crustaceans die from it immediately, while larger ones experience paralysis. Thanks to the trapping tentacles, the caught prey is dragged to the third type of polyps - gastrozoids, which digest food by breaking down proteins, carbohydrates and fats. And the fourth type - gonozoids - perform the function of reproduction.

The Portuguese boat can only be moved by the current or the wind. In the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic or Indian Oceans you can meet the whole fleet. But sometimes they "deflate" their bubbles and dive into the water to avoid danger. And they have someone to fear: despite the poisonousness, the boats serve as prey for some species of animals. For example, sea ​​turtles(loggerhead, bighead turtle), sunfish or mollusks (nudibranch, yantina) can significantly thin out the ranks of "sailboats". But the shepherd fish lives among the long tentacles of the physalia as a freeloader. The poison does not affect this fish, but it reliably protects against numerous enemies, and the shepherd boy feeds on the remnants of the patron's prey and the dead tips of dactylozoids.

On the surface of the water, this animal is very beautiful. The upper part of it is brightly colored and vaguely resembles the colors of the old Portuguese sailboats, hence the name of this animal. If you look closely at the physalia, which rises about 30 cm in length above the sea surface, you can see how it shimmers with blue, violet and purple colors due to the reflection of sunlight from its faces.

It is not known for certain how physalia reproduces. All that scientists have found out is that physalia reproduces asexually and there are polyps in the colonies that are responsible for reproduction. It is they who establish new colonies.
Since jellyfish have the ability to reproduce without interruption, a huge number of jellyfish are born in the seas and oceans. It is assumed that this jellyfish is able to reproduce in another way - it is believed that the Physalia jellyfish, a Portuguese warship, when dying, throws whole bunches of jellyfish organisms into the ocean, in which reproductive products are formed that serve to create new jellyfish.

It is already known that the Portuguese boat belongs to the stinging animals, which means it has in its arsenal formidable weapon- stinging cells. These cells in physalia are filled with poison that affects not only animals, but also humans. The poisonous substance that fills the stinging cells has a paralytic effect, causing death in the inhabitants of the oceans, who were not lucky enough to become a victim of physalia. In humans, the poison of the Portuguese man-of-war causes burns. It is believed that it is impossible to wash the burn fresh water, because there may still be whole stinging cells on the skin, which are quickly destroyed by such water, and it turns out that the poison again enters the skin.

INTERESTING INFO ABOUT THE PORTUGUESE BOAT...

Physalia - is a joint colony of modified jellyfish and polyps, so closely related to each other that they show all the features of a holistic organism.
- "Portuguese ship" this jellyfish was nicknamed by the sailors of the XVIII century, who talked about the jellyfish, which swims like a medieval Portuguese warship.
- The most poisonous variety of physalia lives in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, its poison represents mortal danger for a person.
- By the way, even when dried, the tentacles of the Portuguese boat remain very dangerous for humans.
- A burn by a Portuguese boat is comparable in toxicity to a bite poisonous snake. But only in rare cases burns of physalia lead to death.

A special and very peculiar group of the class Hydroids is formed by the subclass Siphonophores. This word refers to free-swimming colonial coelenterates living in warm seas.
The siphonophore colony is neither a polyp nor a medusa. This is a community of many individuals, some of which resemble polyps, others - jellyfish. Each individual of the colony has its own purpose and structure corresponding to it. All individuals are located on a single trunk of the colony and are interconnected by a single digestive cavity.
The most famous among the siphonophores is undoubtedly the Portuguese man-of-war siphonophore.
Sometimes she is called Latin name physalia (Physalia). The size of the floating colony of physalia is very large. The length of the trunk sometimes exceeds 1 m, and the longest tentacles grow to a length of 10 meters or more.
Main Feature physalium is that the floating colony is not completely submerged in water. A brightly colored gas bubble always rises above the water, keeping the whole organism afloat. Painted in bluish or reddish tones, this gas bubble (in Greek "pneumatophore") also plays the role of a sail, carrying the siphonophore following the sea winds. The gas in the bladder is similar in composition to air and is secreted by special glandular cells.
The “sail” of the Portuguese boat performs its work no worse than a real sail. On the surface of the pneumatophore there is a special crest, which in its shape resembles the Latin letter S. Thanks to this crest, the Portuguese boat is not only driven by the wind across the sea, but constantly turns around at an angle to the wind. In practice, this leads to the fact that, after swimming for some time in one direction, the siphonophores suddenly make a coordinated turn and swim in another, sometimes even in the opposite direction.
Such coordinated maneuvers, simultaneously performed by a large number of siphonophores, resemble the friendly navigation of a flotilla of ships. Hence the name "boat". As for the adjective "Portuguese", the siphonophores owe it to the bright color of the pneumatophores. It was these bright multi-colored sails that were on the masts of the ships of the medieval mistress of the seas - Portugal.
Observations of physalia showed that in the same group of this species there are two forms that differ in the shape of the crest. Driven by the wind, some of the physalia gradually turn to the right, while others turn to the left. They are called so - right and left physalia.
Each siphonophore colony is a single and very complex organism. Below the pneumatophore on the trunk of the colony, the remaining individuals are located in a certain order.
The so-called swimming bells follow first. These are medusoid individuals, which, pushing water out of the bells, carry out the active movement of the colony. True, the Portuguese ship does not have swimming bells, and they are not needed, since the colonies move perfectly with the help of wind or sea currents.
Below the medusoids, all siphonophores have lactating polyps. These individuals are able to swallow and digest food. Since the entire colony is united by a common digestive cavity, all the food that the lactating polyps swallow is immediately distributed among all individuals.
Loops are placed next to the nursing polyps. This is the name of siphonophore individuals, which have the appearance of a long (sometimes up to 20 m), often even branched tentacles carrying stinging cells. Arkanchiki are designed to protect the colony, as well as to catch prey. Finally, there are individuals in which the germ cells of the siphonophore develop.
Although the venom of the burning cells of the physalia is dangerous for many species of fish, some of them use the tentacles of the Portuguese man-of-war for their own protection. Shepherd fish, common in all oceans, spends almost all the time near the physalia or between their tentacles until they reach adulthood. Somehow, these small fish manage to avoid the action of stinging cells, and they react poorly to physalium poison.
Although the Portuguese boats are very beautiful, it is not recommended to pick them up. The burn from stinging cells is very sensitive to humans. There are several cases when physalia became the cause of death of people. Even individuals thrown ashore continue to be dangerous. Those who have been attacked by physalis have described the action of the burning cells as being like a blow. electric shock.
sailboat

Previously, zoologists ranked the sailboat as a siphonophore, because these animals lead a similar lifestyle. However, later scientists decided that these single floating organisms are a separate detachment of the Hydroid class.
Sailboats are animals of tropical and subtropical seas. They live only in those seas and oceans, the water temperature of which does not fall below 15 ° C.
Like the Portuguese boat, the sailboat is passively carried by winds and currents. Its strongly flattened body resembles an oval, the long axis of which in adults reaches 10–12 cm. On the upper side of the body there is an elegantly shaped vertical plate - the "sail". Like the Portuguese boat, the “sail” is somewhat curved, and therefore the sailboat does not sail straight under the influence of the wind, but turns from time to time.
The upper side of the body of the sailboat is covered with a chitinous membrane and bears a gas bubble - a pneumatophore, which supports the animal on the surface of the water. On the lower submerged surface is mouth opening and many tentacles surrounding it.
Tentacles help sailboats find and catch prey. These coelenterates feed on the larvae of various animals, small crustaceans, fish fry and almost all components marine plankton organisms.
Sailboats often form huge aggregations. Sometimes in some place in the ocean you can swim several kilometers, constantly observing sailboats to the right and left of the sides. When all this mass is moved by the wind, there is a feeling that a huge flock of animals is swimming.
Unlike jellyfish, sailboats do not go deep before a storm approaches. They fearlessly rush along the raging waves, and if the water turns them over, they immediately take the correct position again.
An amazing feature of the biology of sailboats is their cohabitation with many marine organisms. Floating on the surface of the water like small rafts, defenseless sailboats are used by other animals for rest, resettlement, protection from enemies, reproduction and other purposes.
The most terrible roommate for a sailboat is the predatory snail Yantina. Having found a sailboat, she settles on the underside of his body and gradually eats him almost entirely. Only a chitinous skeleton remains of the sailboat. And the predator, meanwhile, is looking for a new victim, since sailboats live in large clusters. In order not to drown during the search, the snail builds its own raft from the foam it secretes.
In addition to yantina, other predatory mollusks, such as nudibranch mollusks eolis and glaucus, are not averse to profiting from a sailboat.
The remains of the sailboat still float on the surface of the water for some time and are populated by new "tenants": hydroid polyps, small sessile crustaceans, bryozoans, sea ​​worms, shrimp. Crustaceans also sometimes try to eat sailboats.
As on rafts, small crabs from the genus Planes travel on sailboats. Aquatic predators simply do not see such passengers from the water column. When crabs need food, they move to the underside of the body of sailboats and try to hunt or simply take food away from the owner.
A floating sailboat can serve as a convenient place for some fish to lay eggs. One of the flying fish, for example, places its eggs on the underside of the body of sailfish.

The Portuguese boat is not just a beautiful creation of nature. This is a real killer jellyfish that floats on the surface of the water with a transparent bubble filled with gas.

Initially, Portuguese boats could only be found in the waters of the Gulf Stream, as well as in the tropics of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. But since 1989, this flotilla has also drifted into the Mediterranean. Scientists believe that the main reasons for their resettlement were global warming and the disappearance of food due to the large volumes of fish caught.

The Portuguese boat fully justifies its name, which it received back in the 15th century in honor of the flotilla of Henry the Navigator. Its upper part, which is a large transparent bubble 15-20 cm long, is very similar to the stern of a ship. The boat moves only thanks to the wind or the flow of water. Another part of it is hidden under water - poisonous tentacles. Their length can reach 30 meters!

They are equipped with stinging cells, which, like small harpoons, pierce prey and inject poison, which is also dangerous for humans. After contact with the tentacles, severe burns remain on the skin. To relieve pain and destroy the poison, ordinary 3% -5% vinegar helps.

Physalia is especially dangerous for children, the elderly and people with an increased allergic reaction. There is a known case with lethal outcome. In the spring of this year, policeman Igor Kuznetsov died from a jellyfish bite, who ran into her in Egypt during a vacation. He was taken to Moscow by a special flight of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, but Russian doctors failed to pull him out of a coma. Beauty is sometimes dangerous, deadly.

For small fish and crustaceans, meeting with her guarantees a quick death. But there is one fish from the perch order, which is not susceptible to physalia poison. The boat and this fish have developed a wonderful strategy of mutual assistance: the fish serves as a bait for future victims of the physalia, and itself feeds on the remains of prey and the dead ends of the jellyfish tentacles. This is such a wonderful tandem.

But still, the Portuguese boat can also become someone's dinner. The big-headed sea turtle and

Physalia Medusa or Portuguese boat. Photo and video

Physalia jellyfish or a Portuguese boat either swims up to the shore when the wind drives it, then turns around on the opposite side and slowly sails away. It is extremely dangerous for humans - its poison kills quickly and inevitably.

Physalia jellyfish photo
Class - Hydroid
Order - Siphonophores
Family - Jellyfish
Genus / Species - Physalia physalia

Basic data:

DIMENSIONS

Length: body 9-35 cm long, stinging filaments usually up to 15 m long, in extremely rare cases they can reach a length of 30 m.

BREEDING

It usually reproduces asexually by budding. Polyps separate from the main colony in order to then establish new ones.

LIFESTYLE

Behavior: drifting in the sea.

Food: all small fish.

Life span: several months.

RELATED SPECIES

Among the siphonophores, many different species are distinguished, a number of which are known as physalia. Only in mediterranean sea found at least 20 different species of this jellyfish. Other jellyfish are close relatives of physalia.

The “Portuguese boat” or “Portuguese warship” (as the physalia jellyfish is sometimes called for the resemblance of its body to this ship) is actually a whole colony various types polyps of the same species. Each of the polyps in the colony has its own function.

Portuguese boat jellyfish video

Physalia (see photo) often swim in warm seas numerous groups, often numbering several thousand jellyfish.

The bubble of the jellyfish body, transparent and shining in the sun, rises about 15 cm above the water and looks like a small sail.

It is surprising that the jellyfish is able to move even against the wind, without turning off the chosen path.

Physalia jellyfish, as a rule, is found close to the coast, but in the warm season it willingly moves with the flow towards the earth's poles. Powerful winds blowing from the sea towards the coast can throw this jellyfish onto land.

BREEDING OF THE PORTUGUESE BOAT

It is not known for certain how the Physalia jellyfish reproduces. All that scientists have found out is that physalia reproduces asexually and there are polyps in the colonies that are responsible for reproduction. It is they who establish new colonies.

Since jellyfish have the ability to reproduce without interruption, a huge number of jellyfish are born in the seas and oceans. It is assumed that this jellyfish is able to reproduce in another way - it is believed that the Physalia jellyfish, a Portuguese warship, when dying, throws whole bunches of jellyfish organisms into the ocean, in which reproductive products are formed that serve to create new jellyfish.

The tentacles of the jellyfish are armed with many poisonous capsules. The capsules are very small, each a twisted empty tube covered with fine hairs. With any contact, for example, with a fish passing by, the stinging mechanism is activated. Physalia venom is similar in composition to cobra venom. Exposure to poison on fish leads to their death, in humans, burns with the poison of a Portuguese boat lead to severe pain, fever, chills, shock, and breathing problems.

Seeing this beauty in the water, immediately swim away from her as far as possible.

INTERESTING INFO ABOUT THE PORTUGUESE BOAT...

Physalia - is a joint colony of modified jellyfish and polyps, so closely related to each other that they show all the features of a holistic organism.
"Portuguese boat" this jellyfish was nicknamed by sailors of the XVIII century, who talked about a jellyfish that swims like a medieval Portuguese warship.
The most poisonous variety of physalia lives in the Indian and Pacific oceans, its poison is a mortal danger to humans.

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF PHYSALIA (PORTUGUESE WARSHIP)

An air sac (pneumatophore) rises above the water, which serves as a sail for the physalia. It is filled with a gas that differs from the surrounding air by a higher content of nitrogen and carbon dioxide and a lower content of oxygen. During a storm, the gas from the bubble can be released, due to which the physalia can sink under water. Also, physalia is characterized by the phenomenon of bioluminescence. She is one of only two species that glow red.

Often small perches swim among the tentacles of the physalia. These fish are in symbiosis with the Portuguese boat, since they are insensitive to the poison of the physalia, they receive protection from enemies from it, as well as the remnants of food from its table, and the prey itself swims into the tentacles of the physalia, seduced by the sight of harmless fish.

Where does the Portuguese boat live?

PRESERVATION

It is not known how physalia is affected by pollution of the seas and oceans. But in this moment The disappearance of this jellyfish is not threatened.
Used sources.

Sometimes Portuguese boats get into the Gulf Stream and are carried by this current to the English Channel. When they accumulate off the coast of England and France or, for example, near the beaches of Florida, television, radio and the press warn the population of the danger.

The "Portuguese boat" is not even one jellyfish, but a colony of one or two hundred jellyfish and polyps. The colonies of the boat look like unusually elegant balls, often drifting across the surface of the ocean in whole "flotillas". From time to time, the boat dips the float into the water so that the membrane does not dry out.
(www.examen.ru)
The poison of the physalia is very close in its action to the poison of the cobra. The introduction of even a small dose under the skin of laboratory animals ended tragically for them. This poison is unusually resistant to drying and freezing, and the tentacles of the siphonophore, which had lain for six (!) years in the refrigerator, perfectly retained their deadly properties.
(old.vesti.ru)
Despite the toxicity of physalia, some sea turtles eat them in huge quantities. People, of course, do not eat physalia, but they also find use for them. Farmers in Guadeloupe (Caribbean) and Colombia use the dried tentacles of physalis as poison for rats.
(www.examen.ru)
... there is a representative of the sea kingdom, to whom physalia is not only not an enemy, but, on the contrary, a necessary companion (although friendship is understood here in a very peculiar way). This is the tremoctopus violaceus octopus. He calmly cuts off the poisonous threads of the "Portuguese boat" and winds them around the four front "arms". Now the octopus is armed, dangerous and extraordinarily beautiful (of course, from the point of view of the octopus). The tentacles of the physalia do not harm him, but serve as an excellent means of attack.
(www.hiking.ru)