The Bluebottle or Physalia utriculus is commonly mistaken for a jellyfish, although it is not.  The Bluebottles are found in South Africa, Hawaii, France and Australia.  Bluebottles are a species that float above water using what looks like a sail and are carried by the wind.  These animals have a dangerous sting, and thus, I want to give you information on them so that you can protect yourselves.
 

Bluebottles are commonly mistaken for jellyfish and although they may look alike, there are ways to tell the difference.  The body of the species varies from 3cm to 15 cm and their tentacles range from 15 cm to 10 meters.  Their colors are also different.  The bluebottles are a dark blue or even a light blue with a bit of mauve combined.  This species also has long tentacles that help them capture their prey.  It’s able to inject venom in its prey, and it may also help them adapt to the new environments.  Those are some of the differences between the two
.

Just because bluebottles aren’t common around you or you’ve never heard of them doesn’t mean they aren’t around.  This species is growing every day.  They are laying multiple spores around.  Because of the population growth, they are found all around the world but are more commonly found in South Africa, Australia, France, and Hawaii.  There is a plus sign to them being all around.  They are able to protect some Byhidins them by hiding them in their tentacles from predators.  With this, there is proof that Bluebottles are not a rare species.
 

Although Bluebottles are small, they are dangerous.  Bluebottles are predators but the Loggerhead Turtle and the Glaucus Atlantics Snail are able to eat them and resist the venomous sting.  The Bluebottle uses the sting to capture their prey.  They put the venom in their prey, which paralyzes them.  They use their tentacles to reel in the small fish.   If you were to get stung by one, you would be seriously hurt.  Their venom could paralyze your arms, legs, and even your body, depending on where you got stung.  They are considered a dangerous marine animal.
 

My animal, the Bluebottle, is important because it helps protect other fish.  However, it also eats them.  If it weren’t for the Bluebottles, the Loggerhead Turtle and the Gallous Atlantics snails wouldn’t have as much of a variety to eat.  An interesting fact about my animal that really stood out was about how it was able to help some fish without killing them and how Loggerhead Turtles and the Gallous Atlantis Snail are able to eat one without being stung.  The Physalia utriculus or commonly named Bluebottle has characteristics of a jellyfish but is in a class of its own. 

Author: Erin Monet R.
Date Published: 02/2013
 

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physalia_utriculus. Wikipedia, December 4th 2012 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physaliidae.  Wikipedia, November 15th 2012
http://www.australianfauna.com/bluebottlejellyfish.php . Australian fauna 2004 http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org/species.asp?id=7644. Cook Islands Biodiversity December 2004
http://www.coastalwatch.com/news/article.aspx?articleId=7650&cateId=82&display=0&title=Blue%20Bottle%20Jellyfish%20(Portuguese%20Man%20of%20War)%20(Physalia%20utriculus). Costal Watch, 2009
http://www.marine-medic.com.au/pages/biology/biologyBreakup/physalia.pdf. Fenner, 2000
 

Photo Credit:
William Perry, (2009). (Online) http://www.coastalwatch.com/news/article.aspx?articleId=7650&cateId=82&display=0&title=Blue%20Bottle%20Jellyfish%20(Portuguese%20Man%20of%20War)%20(Physalia%20utriculus