Standup & Portuguese

[ricki]

Went out tonight for a quick paddle and saw some large Portuguese man-o-war drifting in. Noticed they had some company, see below ...







Portuguese man-o-war or Physalia physalis and a companion, the man-o-war fish, driftfish or Nomeus gronovii. Each man-o-war I saw had at least one of these and sometimes quite a few other fish in tow.









Tentacles aka "blue-purple pain!"










You looking at me?! Man-o-war fish are indifferent to the toxin of the Portuguese, tough fish.




Frequently there were dozens of smaller fish hanging out in around the tentacles.






And, a short clip of a man-o-war and friends




These guys can inject a painful neurotoxin on contact with the tentacles. It is very painful and can lead to more serious problems based upon location, dosage and susceptibility. More about dealing with man-o-war at: http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/portugue.html

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