Portuguese man o' war: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Portuguese man o' war lives – recorded in 21 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Physalia physalis
Group	Jellyfish, corals & anemones
Found in	21 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America
Class	Cnidarian
Order	Siphonophorae
Family	Physaliidae

Where does the Portuguese man o' war live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Portuguese man o' war in 21 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the Portuguese man o' war?

The Portuguese man o' war (Physalia physalis) is a cnidarian in the order Siphonophorae and the family Physaliidae, genus Physalia. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Portuguese man o' war

The Portuguese man o' war (Physalia physalis), also known as the man-of-war, bluebottle, or sometimes called Caravela Portuguesa (a name of Portuguese origin), is a marine hydrozoan found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. While it is typically considered the only species in its genus, Physalia, and family, Physaliidae, genetic evidence suggests there may be more.

Although it superficially resembles a jellyfish, the Portuguese man o' war is in fact a siphonophore. Like all siphonophores, it is a colonial organism, made up of many smaller units called zooids. Although they are morphologically quite different, all of the zooids in a single specimen are genetically identical. These different types of zooids fulfill specialized functions, such as hunting, digestion, and reproduction, and together they allow the colony to operate as a single individual.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Portuguese man o' war (revision 1381385876), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q202526 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).