Portuguese Man O' War

The Portuguese man o' war is not from Portugal, and it's neither a man nor at war. but more importantly, it's not a jellyfish, either, although it looks like one. This creature cannot even propel itself through the water, and relies on ocean currents to move at all. As such, you'd think they would stay in their own ecosystem. But climate change is bringing warm waters to more places than ever before, and the man o' war is spreading with those waters. Why is this important?

For one, we don't know what effect they will have as an invasive species, and how the man o' war will upset the balance of nature. The other reason is closer to home- they can kill humans. A Portuguese man o' war's sting can range from painful and bothersome to lethal, with all kinds of unpleasant effects in between that can last up to a year. You don't want to mess with these animals, even when they are stranded on the beach. Even though they are pretty.