The Portugese man-of-war is an intriguing being which is commonly viewed as being one animal. In all actuality, it is a colony composed of three different types of polyps and very special structure that holds the colony together, called the pneumatophore.
The three types of polyps are categorized by their roles within the colony.
     The digestive polyps are called gastrozooids.They are responsible for breaking down all that they can of captured prey.
The reproductive polyps are called gonozooids. These polyps release eggs and sperm into the ocean in order to create other colonies like thier's.The last polyps are the defensive and prey-capturing type, known as dactylozooids.
  The dactylozooids are particularly fascinating. Each one is a single tentacle, up to ten meters long. In the tentacle there are hundreds of powerful stinging cells called cnidocytes. These cnidocytes are triggered whenever the dactylozooid comes into contact with anything foreign. Once triggered, they sting by releasing a powerful neurotoxin that is so strong that it is lethal to small vertebrates, and is even harmful to humans!

This is a close-up pic of physalia's cnidocytes!

     All three types of polyps form this colonial entity by being attached to one structure, the afforementioned pneumatophore.
This structure, more commonly known as the float, is the colony's main mode of transportation. The pneumatophore is a sac filled with gas, and floats at the surface of the ocean with the gastrozooids, gonozooids and dactylozooids all suspended beneath it. It is equipped with a sail-like extension which allows the wind to move the colony from place to place.
 
 

     The Portuguese man-of war is found in warm waters worldwide,
although it is found primarily in the warm atlantic and indo-pacific waters. These colonies become a threat to humans when the wind blows them too close to, or on to shore. Thier reaction to the touch of a human is the same as thier reaction to the touch of their prey. Attack! The dactylozooids will trigger the cnidocytes to sting the human. This can be extremely painful and quite dangerous. If the victim goes into shock from the stings, they can drown.
     While physalia is not intentionally looking for humans to attack, it certainly is looking for a good meal. It relies upon its tentacles (the dactylozooids) to capture it's food while the colony floats around the ocean. This food usually consists of small crustaceans and surface plankton. source link
     Physalia's only other primary function, like all animals, is reproduction.It actually uses both sexual and asexual forms of reproduction during it's lifetime. When mature colonies release eggs and sperm, and these eggs and sperm join together, larval physalia are "born". The larva then forms it's own colony by the asexual method known as budding, dividing over and over until, finally, the one larva has become a colony. This colony, once matured, will reproduce sexually, as it's parent colony did before it. It's gonozooids will release eggs and sperm to form many new pysalia larvae.source link 2
      All in all, Physalia is a pretty harmless being (unless you are it's lunch). It just floats around and eats and reproduces throughout it's travels, hurting only the creatures silly enough to mess with it. I, myself, find it to be very interesting. I just hope that I dont bump into it next time I'm at the beach!

Sources:
1. http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/portugue.htmlsource link 3

2.http://waquarium.mic.hawaii.edu/MLP/search/man-o-war.html

3.http://www.austmus.gov.au/is/sand/bluebottle.htm

4.http://137.122.144.15/Thumbnails/HYDRO81P-GIF.htm
 

This page done by Nicole Greenman of Dr.Simpson's 6pm class :)