Predators and Prey
The Portuguese man o' war is a carnivore. Using its venomous tentacles, a man o' war traps and paralyzes its prey. Typically, men o' war feed upon small aquatic organisms, such as fish and plankton.
The loggerhead turtle feeds on the Portuguese man o' war, a common part of the loggerhead's diet. The turtle's skin is too thick for the sting to penetrate.
The sea slug Glaucus atlanticus also feeds on the Portuguese man o' war, as does the violet snail Janthina janthina.
The blanket octopus is immune to the venom of the Portuguese man o' war; young individuals carry broken man o' war tentacles, presumably for offensive and/or defensive purposes.
The ocean sunfish's primary diet consists of jellyfish, but it can also consume Portuguese men o' war.
Read more about this topic: Portuguese Man O' War
Famous quotes containing the word prey:
“I love to see that Nature is so rife with life that myriads can be afforded to be sacrificed and suffered to prey on one another; that tender organizations can be so serenely squashed out of existence like pulp.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)