Siphonophorae is an order of marine creatures that look like jellyfish, belonging to the class Hydrozoa of the subphylum Medusozoa in the phylum Cnidaria . This is a group of “hybrid” animals between coral and jellyfish and is also one of the longest species in the world – about 50 m.

Siphonophorae is not a single organism but a collective colony of many small individuals, called zooids. Each zooid has separate tasks such as self-defense, reproduction, eating, etc., contributing to maintaining the life process of the entire population but must rely on each other to survive, performing the survival function together. Although all zooids can separate from the population, the entire Siphonophorae still develops from an independent cell.

Siphonophores have a strange beauty, looking like the flowers of the ocean. This creature has a long, thin, transparent body and resides most in Portuguese waters. Some other variations of Siphonophores that live in deep, dark waters often have a very special orange or red color.

Some typical Siphonophores subspecies include:

Apolemia uvaria

Apolemia uvaria, also known as the barbed wire jellyfish, is a species that lives deep at the bottom of the sea. About 3 m long, 2 – 5 cm in diameter, this creature also possesses a string of pink and white tentacles clustered together. When disturbed, they become irritable by changing color to green or gray-blue.

In addition, the entire tentacle is hidden in the front part of the abdomen and will unfold when targeting prey. When detecting crustaceans or small fish, these tentacles glow and change color continuously to attract opponents. As soon as the prey comes into view, the tentacles will burst open and inject a substance into the body that paralyzes the prey.

Physalia physalis

Physalia physalis is a subspecies of Siphonophores, residing in tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and the northern Gulf Stream.

Physalia physalis looks like a jellyfish but is not a jellyfish. They are not a single individual but a community consisting of many small individuals called zooids. Each of these zooids is highly specialized, they are attached to each other and physiologically integrated to the point that they cannot survive independently.

This animal is usually dark green, transparent like cellophane with a small hard sail on top to help catch the wind and move on the sea surface. The average size of Physalia physalis is about 9 – 30 cm long, when stretching its body up to 15 cm above the water surface.

More specifically, this creature is a carnivore. They eat plankton with poisonous tentacles. When detecting prey, Physalia physalis will approach and launch its zooids quickly and skillfully, while pulling the prey towards itself. The amount of poison this animal releases is only enough to defeat its prey, not enough to harm humans.

Marrus orthocanna

Marrus orthocanna is a marine jellyfish that lives in a colony consisting of a complex complex of zooids. Marrus orthocanna usually resides in the waters of the Arctic, Arctic Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, at a depth of 200 – 800 m under the sea.

The deepest that experts have discovered for this species is about 2,000 m, with a water temperature of about 4 ^o C, making it difficult for light from the water surface to penetrate their habitat.

Marrus orthocanna is 1.8 – 2 m long, swimming independently in the vast ocean, all its bodies arranged in a long cylindrical line. Along the long ulnar cord are the nutritional and reproductive bodies. In it, one end is a floating buoy like a float bag containing orange gas. The back part of the body is swimming bells, transparent and red in color. This bell-shaped structure will help Marrus orthocanna move quickly and accurately.

When they contract, water is ejected, creating a thrust that helps the jellyfish move further. Smooth coordination will help Marrus orthocanna move forward, backward, left, and right easily.

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