Deadly Oddity: Some Strange Facts about the Portuguese Man-of-War
獨特卻致命的僧帽水母
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Floating along on the surface of the ocean, a beautiful yet deadly creature drifts with the current. With its long tentacles and gas-filled bladder, it looks like a jellyfish. However, it’s actually a siphonophore, a strange colony of genetically identical individuals. Yes, unlike a jellyfish, a Portuguese man-of-war isn’t a single organism. Rather, it’s a collection of countless tiny organisms that must work in concert to survive. Read on to learn some other amazing facts about this bizarre and interesting creature.
It was named after a type of ship.
The odd name Portuguese man-of-war probably came from the creature’s resemblance to 16th-century Portuguese warships known as “men-of-war.” In particular, its gas bladder, which resembles a sail, likely led to the name. Another theory suggests that the name derived from the bladder’s similarity to the helmets worn by 16th-century Portuguese soldiers.
Its tentacles can be as long as an Olympic-size swimming pool.
While they’re typically around 30 feet in length, the tentacles of some Portuguese men-of-war can extend to a staggering 165 feet. Armed with venom-containing cells, these tentacles can supply an agonizing sting. Worse yet, the tentacles remain dangerous even when separated from the rest of the creature, capable of stinging unsuspecting swimmers or beachgoers.
一種美麗卻會致命的生物漂浮在海面上，隨著洋流漂流。有著長長的觸鬚和充滿氣體的鰾，牠看起來就像水母。然而，牠其實是管水母目動物，是一種由基因相同的個體組成的特殊群體。沒錯，與水母不同，僧帽水母（又稱為葡萄牙戰艦）並不是單一的生物體。更確切地說，牠是由無數個必須共同合作才能生存的微小生物體所組成的群體。繼續讀下去來了解這種奇特又有趣的生物一些其他令人稱奇的事實。
牠是以一種類型的船來命名。
葡萄牙戰艦這個奇怪的名字可能源自於該生物與十六世紀被稱為「戰爭之人」的葡萄牙軍艦的相似之處。尤其牠的鰾看起來像帆，可能因此而得名。另一個看法則說此名源自於其鰾與十六世紀葡萄牙士兵所戴的頭盔類似。
其觸鬚可以和奧運規格的游泳池一樣長。
雖然僧帽水母的觸鬚通常長約三十英尺，但有些可以延伸到驚人的一百六十五英尺長。這些觸鬚帶有含毒液的細胞，能夠造成痛苦的刺傷。更糟的是，即使脫離水母的其他部位，觸鬚仍具有危險性，能夠螫傷毫無戒心的泳客或海灘客。
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It feeds on fish that get too close.
The man-of-war’s tentacles are used to attack its prey, which consist mainly of tiny fish, plankton, and shrimp. The sting delivered by the tentacles paralyzes the prey, and the tentacles then reel the meal upwards to be digested.
As dangerous as it is, it’s not invincible.
Despite its deadly sting, some creatures do manage to turn the tables on the man-of-war, with its many predators including sea turtles, sunfish, and sea slugs. In fact, while eating a man-of-war, a sea slug can even store the man-of-war’s toxic cells in its own skin to use in its defense. In contrast, the skin of loggerhead turtles, including that on their tongues and throats, is simply too thick for man-of-war stings to penetrate, allowing the turtles to gobble men-of-war down without injury.
While it’s got some enemies, it also has friends.
Some fish are partially immune to man-of-war stings, which enables them to gain protection by hiding among a man-of-war’s tentacles. Meanwhile, their presence benefits the man-of-war by attracting other fish that it can eat.
The man-of-war is pretty peculiar, and the above facts are actually just scratching the surface. If you take a closer look at these unusual animals, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the wealth of information available.
牠以靠近的魚類為食。
僧帽水母的觸鬚用於攻擊獵物，主要包括小魚、浮游生物和蝦子。觸鬚所發動的刺擊會讓獵物癱瘓，然後觸鬚會將食物捲起來消化。
雖然危險，但牠並非所向無敵。
儘管僧帽水母的刺會致命，但有些生物卻有辦法扭轉局勢，其中包含海龜、翻車魚和海蛞蝓等眾多僧帽水母的掠食者。事實上，海蛞蝓在吃掉僧帽水母時，甚至可以將僧帽水母的毒細胞儲存在自己的皮膚中用於防衛之用。相較之下，赤蠵龜的皮膚（包括舌頭和喉嚨的皮膚）只不過是太厚了，僧帽水母的刺無法穿透，這使得赤蠵龜能大口吃僧帽水母而不受到傷害。
儘管有一些敵人，但牠也有朋友。
有些魚類對僧帽水母的刺有部分免疫，這讓牠們能夠躲在僧帽水母的觸鬚之間而獲得保護。與此同時，這些魚的存在對僧帽水母有好處，因為會吸引其他僧帽水母會吃的魚。
僧帽水母相當奇特，而上述事實其實只觸及皮毛而已。如果你更仔細觀察這些不尋常的動物，你會對獲得的豐富資訊感到驚喜。
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