They live in the mainly tropical waters of the Atlantic and Pacific, spending their lives adrift on the ocean surface. It is not an actual jellyfish, but a union of many individual polyps, a colony. In Delray Beach, most of the 358 minor medical incidents on the beach so far this month have been Portuguese men-of-war stings, said Delray Ocean Rescue Division Chief Phil Wotton. If stung by one, a victim could experience muscle pain, irritation, and in some cases, even death. Contact with a man-of-war's tentacles can cause intense pain and other systemic symptoms. It felt like getting cracked with a bull whip and burned for a few days. The Portuguese man o’ war, (Physalia physalis) is often called a jellyfish, but is actually a species of siphonophore, a group of animals that are closely related to jellyfish. Feels like a burn. They … 'We aren't sure it was a Portuguese Man 'o War but we have looked it up on the internet and the rash on his leg looks as if it was caused by one.' Colony Structure, Tentacles, and Venom The man-of-war comprises four separate polyps. The Portuguese man-of-war is a siphonophore, an animal made up of a colony of organisms working together. The scars faded after a few months and were gone after 6-9 months. Portuguese Man o' War (physalia physalis) are a jelly-like marine invertebrate. Portuguese Man-of-War Portuguese man-of-wars are free-floating cnidarians characterized by blue gas-filled bladders and long tentacles that drift on the surface of the ocean. Stings from a Portuguese man o’ war are as common as they are dangerous, yet there’s a lack of consensus over the best way to treat these painful pricks. A man-of-war looks like “an 18th-century Portuguese warship under full sail,” the National Ocean Service said.. She knew immediately that she been attacked by a Portuguese Man o' War. It's an ingenious product of evolution. I was surfing off of Bondi in Sydney and had a Portuguese man of war (Commonly called a "Blue Bottle" in Australia) tentacle get wrapped around my arm. I was stung by a Portuguese man of war. 'One of the worst infestations of Portuguese Man-of-War in over 100 years' More than 80 of the blue creatures have landed in just one bay in Co Cork. The Portuguese man-of-war—a colonial organism related to the jellyfish—is infamous for its painful sting, but one photographer finds the beauty inside this animal's dangerous embrace. Portuguese man-of-wars typically stay out in the open ocean, but strong winds can push them closer to the shore. While they're not quite jellyfish, the Portuguese man of war packs a powerful venom. The Portuguese man-of-war not only has a melodious Latin name (Physalis physalis), but also an extremely beautiful structure. Given the recent sightings of Portuguese man-of-war along the Jersey Shore, here's some advice on how to respond to a sting by one of them - or any other jellyfish.. The Portuguese man o’ war, (Physalia physalis) is often called a jellyfish, but is actually a species of siphonophore, a group of animals that are closely related to jellyfish.A siphonophore is unusual in that it is comprised of a colony of specialized, genetically identical individuals called zooids — clones — with various forms and functions, all working together as one.