Oftentimes, strong winds will bring Portuguese Men-of War from offshore. They will end up on the beach and die. We see them once in a while during our dolphin and snorkel tours at Shell Island. Don’t worry, be informed. It is a rare occurrence. Their great beauty matches the sting they can inflict with their long tentacles. The transparent gas-filled bladder you see serves as a float and a sail. Thanks to their “sail”, we can spot them easily on the surface and avoid them when we take you out on our swim-with-the-dolphins tours.
- The Portuguese Man-of-War gets its name from its resemblance to a sailing Portuguese warship, the caravel.
- It is not a jellyfish but a siphonophore (from the Greek “siphōn” = tube and “pherein” to bear.
- It is a fascinating phenomenon of evolution composed of colonies of polyps and medusae functioning together as a single organism.
- If you are concerned about the unlikely presence of Man-of-War during our Water Planet Shell Island Dolphin Swim Tours in Panama City Beach, Florida, call ahead of time and we will fill you in. We have not had a single customer stung by a Man-of-War on our dolphin tours in Panama City since we started in 1995.
