Portuguese men-of-war. Artwork of a group of Portuguese men-of-war (Physalia utriculus) in the open ocean. Each Portuguese man-of-war is not one organism,instead being a colony of hydrozoan animals. Members of the colony have distinct roles. One individual forms the float (seen here),which is filled with a mixture of nitrogen and carbon monoxide. Individuals called gastrozooids are responsible for digesting food and passing it to the rest of the colony. Prey is captured by dactylozooids,which comprises a large stinging tentacle. Reproduction is carried out by gonozooids. The colony is planktonic,being carried around by ocean currents | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Myers, Walter |
Taille de l’image : | 4850 px × 3638 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |