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Portuguese Man of War

Discussion in 'Nature' started by JoshPosh, Nov 17, 2014.

  1. JoshPosh

    JoshPosh Pathfinder

    These little guys are like miniature Jelly Fish. They float around the ocean and because they are so small the go unnoticed and you can actually swim into them. I have swam into them a few times and boy what a shock to be stung in the middle of the ocean. The damn tentacles get wrapped around your body or limb then you have to swim back to shore and get it off.

    Check it out.

    portuguese-man-of-war-catching-prey.jpg images.jpg
     
    JoshPosh, Nov 17, 2014
    #1
  2. campforums

    campforums Founder Staff Member

    Ouch, that looks nasty. I guess once they are wrapped around you, you just get stung over and over which results in the nasty marks the man in the picture received. "Portuguese Man of War" is quite a strange name for a jelly fish, do people around there actually refer to them by this name? I have found that a lot of similar species get misidentified by most people like for example: wasps/bees/hornets.

    I have only had one experience with jelly fish outside of aquariums and that was when I was swimming in the ocean in Cuba and I guess I must have stepped on one but my foot ended up swelling up big time and it was really painful. I ended needing a shot to reduce the swelling.
     
    campforums, Nov 17, 2014
    #2
  3. JoshPosh

    JoshPosh Pathfinder

    That's what we call them in Hawaii, and I googled the pic. That's what came up, I'm guessing we're not the only ones that call it that. It is really small compared to a jelly fish. You will be able to see a jelly fish from a distance. PMOW is small and unnoticeable when you are swimming. Of all the times I've gotten stung, it was never that bad. Once I feel a stinging sensation in the water, I know what it is. So I immediately back off. Also I might add that these guys float on in depending on the tide and the direction of the trade winds. My mom would remind me of the direction of the wind and to be on the look out for PMOW because of that.
     
    JoshPosh, Nov 18, 2014
    #3
  4. campforums

    campforums Founder Staff Member

    My Jellyfish sting was more in one spot, it ended up turning into a large blister filled with pus. It was pretty painful.

    I guess the body of the PMOW is pretty small but its tentacles or whatever you call them are large enough that they can wrap all the way around that man (as seen by the red marks). How many times have you been stung? Were they all in a particular location?
     
    campforums, Nov 27, 2014
    #4
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