Q 01/05

Often mistaken for a jellyfish, the Portuguese man o' war belongs to which group of sea animals?

A) Comb jellies

B) Siphonophores

C) Colonial tunicates

D) Sea squirts

Answer · why

B) Siphonophores

Siphonophores are colonies of specialised, genetically identical units working together as one body, while a true jellyfish is a single animal. The tw...

Q 02/05

Which animal, immune to the venom, rips tentacles off the Portuguese man o' war to wield as weapons?

A) Bottlenose dolphin

B) Decorator crab

C) Blanket octopus

D) Cleaner wrasse

Answer · why

C) Blanket octopus

Blanket octopus males and young females tear the tentacles off and carry them for attack and defence. A threatened female can also unfurl net-like mem...

Q 03/05

Why might a beach be closed when a dead Portuguese man o' war washes up on the sand?

A) It can still sting

B) It attracts sharks

C) It poisons the sand

D) It gives off toxic gas

Answer · why

A) It can still sting

It can still sting for hours or even days after death, and so can a tentacle that has broken away. Beached specimens hurt just as much as live ones in...

Q 04/05

The Portuguese man o' war takes its name from its float's likeness to which object?

A) A war drum

B) A soldier's shield

C) A cavalry officer's hat

D) A warship under sail

Answer · why

D) A warship under sail

A warship under sail is what the gas-filled float was thought to look like, specifically an 18th-century Portuguese vessel. 'Man-of-war' was old naval...

Q 05/05

Which sea slug eats Portuguese man o' war and keeps the stolen stinging cells for its own defence?

A) Sea hare

B) Spanish dancer

C) Blue dragon

D) Sea butterfly

Answer · why

C) Blue dragon

Blue dragon is a common name for Glaucus atlanticus, a slug about an inch long that packs the stolen cells into its finger-like cerata. Its own sting ...