This month’s article theme will be covering, Mayaro Beach, Trinidad. We were sponsored by 2 anonymous donors to go on an expedition to Trinidad & Tobago. Mayaro Beach is on the southeastern side of the island of Trinidad. Trinidad is an island off the coast of Venezuela. It is approximately from the closest point, 8.06 nautical miles (9.275282 miles or 14.927119435 kilometers) off the coast. It is known for its beauty & its superb ocean scenery. Trinidad is one of 2 sister islands that make up the country of The Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. These islands are also known for their diverse marine wildlife. One of the species that composes this wildlife is none other than the famous Man-O-War. Man-O-War keep washing up on Manzanilla Beach which is causing issues. However what really is this mysterious jellyfish? Let’s delve into The Man-O-War.
The Life Of The Man-O-War
Unfortunately it’s not exactly clear when the Man-O-War was discovered & who it was discovered by. From current knowledge they usually grow to around 30 feet, however some can larger than 165 feet. The average life expectancy of one is approximately 1 year. We don’t exactly know how long the man-o-war species has existed. Most of the species is not very territorial as they hunt in colonies of up to 1000. However this does not mean they cannot be territorial, as sometimes they can become cannibalistic & eat their own kind. They are black, dark blue, or violet in colour. They appear with a fan-like crest atop their head which is usually see-through with a purple or blue line outlining the top. They have long thin tentacles that share the same colour as the bell. The Physalia Physalis bell is approximately 4.72 to 11.8 inches (11.9888 to 29.972 centimeters) in width. The bell’s approximate length is between 2 to 5.1 inches (5.08 to 12.954 centimeters). Their diet usually consists of crustaceans pelagic creatures, & different types of invertebrates. However on occasion they have been known to consume small fish. They consume them through a tactic called reeling in which they paralyze their prey with their venom before consumption. These jellyfish imposters’ predators are as follows: sea slugs, sea turtles, crabs, large fish, & the blue dragon. As of December 2022 they are not considered an endangered or threatened species. They are in the category of least concern on the IUCN red list. They have never successfully been captured & contained for observation, which leaves hundreds of questions about this mysterious creature unanswered.
The Mating Behaviours, Cycles, & Tactics Of The Man-O-War
Man-O-War have some very strange mating procedures. Scientists believe that they reproduce in large gatherings. Each colony or group of these creatures is either all female polyps or all male polyps. Each polyp releases gametes into the water in order to be fertilized. The gametes form zygotes which gives us the end result of a larvae which hatches into a juvenile Man-O-War. They do not care for young at all whatsoever. They are hermaphroditic, they all contain both the ability to release eggs & sperm. This means that even when alone, they are able to still fertilize the egg into a larvae. During their large mating gatherings they release all of their eggs & sperm into a column like area in order to be fertilized.
They do appear to have a specific season when mating is most active, those being the fall & late summer months, however we can assume that this is a year-round event. They do not seem to be in a more aggressive state once they go into the large mating gatherings. It is believed that the gametes are released from the Man-O-War’s mouth. They are made in a separate bodily cavity and then ejected out of the mouth into the column to be fertilized or to fertilize. This is how the colonies of the Man-O-War are formed. The colonies are formed when the Man-O-Wars are in a juvenile state.
The Distribution Of The Man-O-War
The Man-O-War is an incredibly versatile animal that has adapted to living in some incredible places. They float around tropical areas everywhere from Trinidad to surprisingly, Canada. They are typically surface animals that stay in the sunshine zone of the ocean. This leads to many of them washing up on the shore. They are fond of the Atlantic & Indian ocean. They can be found throughout the Gulf of Mexico & the Caribbean as well. In Florida they are becoming a sort of hazard to tourists as they have been washing up upon the beaches. They can still sting you days after complete death. This causes a plethora of issues for people who want them in captivity. You hold the best chance at seeing one either in Florida, Saint Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada, or any other island in the Caribbean. They are quite common now, with their population estimated being in the hundreds of thousands.
The Scientific Details Of The Man-O-War
The Man-O-War is an incredibly strange yet interesting animal. You see it is not exactly jellyfish, it is its own species. They have a unique genus & family, these are both composed of 2 species with those being Physalia Physalis & Physalia Utriculus. Each man-o-war is composed of smaller units called zooids. These Zooids hang in clusters underneath a large gas filled structure called the pneumatophore. New zooids form by budding as the colony of zooids begin to expand. There are 7 known types of zooids that have been described in the Man-O-War. There are 3 of the medusoid type which are gonophores, nectophores, & vestigial nectophores. As well as 4 of the polypoid type with those being free gastrozooids, tentacle-bearing zooids, gonozooids, & gonopalpons. The pneumatophore which functions as the bladder, is the most conspicuous part of the Man-O-War. It is translucent & tinged blue, purple, pink, mauve, magenta, or even occasionally a soft black in colour. It may be 9 to 30 centimeters (3.54331 to 11.811 inches) long & in length be 15 centimetres (5.90551 inches) above the water. The pneumatophore functions as both a flotation device & a sail for the colony, this allows for the creature to drift similarly to a sailboat. The gas in the pneumatophore is part carbon monoxide, this carbon monoxide is being actively produced by the Man-O-War, & part atmospheric gases (nitrogen, oxygen & noble gases) that diffuse in from the surrounding air. In the event of an attack, the pneumatophore can deflate & release gas on will, allowing the colony to temporarily submerge into the sea. Their phylum is Cnidaria. Cnidaria is a phylum that holds over 11,000 marine species with defining characteristics, one of those defining characteristics is that they all have cnidocytes. They also all have 2 basic life stages with those stages being a swimming medusae & a sessile polyp. Their class is Hydroza. Hydroza is a class that is home to a number of jellyfish species. All of the species that are under the Hydroza class are jellyfish or jellyfish like. Their order is Siphonophorae. This order as of 2022 holds 175 species. Siphonophorae are all either salt water jellyfish, or freshwater jellyfish, however some unique species like Man-O-War Can be found in this order. Their sub-order is Cystonectae. The species under the sub order of Cystonectae are floats like the Man-O-War. This means that they use the protrusion atop their head to sail in the direction of wind. Their family is Physalis. The Physalia Physalis is the only species in this specific family. Creatures in the Physalis family are composed of four specialized polyps & medusoids.
How To Treat A Man-O-War Sting
Man-O-War stings are common among beaches of the Atlantic & the Pacific.
This presents the problem of persons getting stung by the Man-O-War. In the event that you are stung here is what you should do.
Step 1. Get Out Of The Water
Get out of the ocean water if you are in it & onto dry land. Do not stay in the water once stung.
Step 2. Use A Gloved Or Clothed Hand To Remove Any Tentacles
The Man-O-War Tentacles will stick on. You need to remove them in order to stop the nematocysts from stinging. Do not attempt to remove the tentacles with bare hands. Remove them as soon as possible.
Step 3. If You Have It Apply Topical Lidocaine Or A Concentrated Vinegar Solution
Lidocaine cream will help reduce pain swelling or even in some cases remove nematocysts from the skin. Nematocysts are the stinging parts of the tentacle. However if neither of these are available hot water being constantly applied will work. Vinegar is also a quite reliable treatment for not only Man-O-War stings but many other kinds of jellyfish stings. However lidocaine cream will work more reliably. If you are going to a marine area where jellyfish in general are common it’s always good to have lidocaine cream on you.
Step 4. Go Seek Medical Attention
Go to nearest hospital to have the site that was stung looked at. In the rare case that you are allergic to the Man-O-War you could have complications. Make sure to not wait & do soon after steps 1 through 3.
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