Question

‘Portuguese Man of War’ is
(a)Soldier
(b)Sponge
(c)Solitary polymorphic coelenterate
(d)Colonial ctenophore

Answer 1

Hint: It is also known as a bluebottle or floating terror found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. This is a marine hydrozoan with many tentacles that have venomous stinging cells and cause harm to other organisms.

Complete answer:
The Portuguese man of war is Physalia with its long tentacles and has numerous microscopic nematocysts that have a painful sting to paralyze small fish and other prey. The Portuguese man of war’ is a colony of specialized animals called zooids. The Portuguese man of war’ is taken by the wind and ocean currents as they can’t swim. It was named after the 18th-century Portuguese warships because of its resemblance. This organism’s float can be up to 6 inches tall and the tentacles grow as long as 165 feet. Even the detached tentacles and dead specimens that wash up on shore are painfully as much as the live organism in the water. It may remain potent for hours or even days. Each individual in Portuguese man o' war is unisexual i.e. either a male or a female. They reproduce sexually with a process called broadcast spawning.
So the correct answer is 'Solitary polymorphic coelenterate'.

Note: The strings from Portuguese man o' war are usually leaving whip-like red welts on the human skin that last for 2 to 3 days even though the pain may go in one to three hours. These are caused by irritating urti cariogenic substances present in the tentacles. Vinegar or ammonia soak is often used as a treatment followed by shaving the area so that the unfired nematocysts are removed. Sometimes even hydrocortisone cream is used.