Post by Anusha (@Anusha)

I was this close 🤏 to going for a swim yesterday... and thank goodness I didn't!!

When I got to the beach, I spotted a Portuguese man o' war and decided to stay out of the water. Turns out, it was a good call because loads of them had been washed up along the shoreline.

For those who don't know, many people mistake the Portuguese man o' war for a jellyfish, but it's actually something even more fascinating. It's not a single animal at all. It's a colony of genetically identical organisms called zooids that work together as one, with each member performing a different role for survival.

A few interesting facts:
•Their blue-purple "sail" allows them to drift across oceans with the wind and currents.
•Their tentacles can reach up to 30 metres in length and deliver an extremely painful sting.
• Even when they're washed up on the beach and appear dead, they can still sting.
• Some fish have adapted to live among their tentacles and avoid being stung.

Have you ever come across a Portuguese man o' war at the beach?

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