@ 04:37 GMT
Position: 36° 06.977 N x 58° 45.007 W
Speed: 7.9 kts
Course: 89° True
We had a chance to swim today but got no takers. For the past few days we have been somewhat mesmerized by the presence of Portuguese men of war. When the swimming question is normally asked and the conditions permit, there is a resounding positive response. But today, after seeing so many of these creatures, nobody was venturing into the water.
Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, we can’t google for information but we have a lot of questions that perhaps you can help us with. What do these jellyfish eat? We know they have long tentacles, but how long? What is the toxin that is used?
We saw big jellyfish then noticed many small ones. I assume they are juvenile which then begs the question, how do they reproduce?
Their structure is incredible, with an above water wing like body. Is it a sail? Do they use it to move in the breeze in search of prey? Are they able to actively move the wing or is it purely passive?
To give you an idea of the density I counted how frequently I saw them at the side of the boat. Surprisingly, on average, I spotted one every 30 seconds when the boat was sailing at 7 knots. Therefore when we sailed 1nm, which would take about 9 minutes, we would see 18 jellyfish. Therefore in a square nautical mile there would be 324 jellyfish. No wonder nobody wanted to swim. Then to add to this number, I noticed later that there were the very small juveniles which increases density even more.
We also wonder if there is a specific region that they inhabit? A sea water temperature range? And of course, where do they get their name and what’s the name for a group, if there is one?
We would love some answers.
Jellyfish eat anything from tiny shrimp and krill to small fish (Google).
Tentacles can grow to over 100 feet (if it’s a rare individual who grows to over 6 feet wide).
Venom was not specifically named but it’s “venom from thousands of microscopic barbed stingers.”
Jellyfish are found “in oceans all over the world: at the surface,deep beneath the sea, in warm water, in cold water, some species of hydrozoa even live in freshwater!
Any more Google question,
just ask Marty Walsh.
Can’t answer that one, but we observed and concluded that they sail around the world on Port tack.
The Portuguese Man O’War’s inflated pneumatophore resembles the sail of a 18th-century Portuguese warship, which is where it got its unique name!
Each Portuguese Man O’War is comprised of genetically-identical individuals called zooids. Just like a coral head looks like one animal but is made up of many polyps, a Portuguese Man O’War looks like one organism but is made of many zooids
I learned something new! I had no idea that it is not just one creature but multiple!!
**Thank you oceanconservancy.org for the info!
Each Portuguese Man O’War is comprised of genetically-identical individuals called zooids. Just like a coral head looks like one animal but is made up of many polyps, a Portuguese Man O’War looks like one organism but is made of many zooids
The Portuguese Man O’War’s inflated pneumatophore resembles the sail of a 18th-century Portuguese warship, which is where it got its unique name
*Thank you oceanconservancy.org for the info!