Spectacular Siphonophores!!!! Episode 4
Welcome back to Weird Fish of the Week, today’s episode is going to be slightly different. We’re doing an overview of a whole species because to talk about just one isn’t enough, everyone please welcome the siphonophores!
OVERVIEW
Siphonophores are a wide species of creatures that are not there own: they’re actually colonial organisms like coral. Made up of many many zooids that each have their own function, they all work together to keep the siphonophore alive as a single being. These colonies develop all from the same fertilized egg and grow with the siphonophore. Each zooid has its own specific role, whether that be reproduction, digestion, predation, etc. There are about 175 species of siphonophore ranging from coastal waters to deep sea ocean floors, and each species is its own unique sight to behold. They’re actually quite abundant in the ocean, but they tend to be very fragile. And while they might look like jellyfish, they aren’t! They’re cousins but not the same creature.
ANATOMY
As mentioned previously, siphonophores are made up of colonies of zooids, and tend to be very fragile creatures, looking similar to jelly. Most have some sort of central stem to the body, floaters for buoyancy, swimming bells to swim around, and tentacles to catch prey. These creatures typically have a BUNCH of tentacles made for stinging and grabbing prey. The size of these creatures ranges depending on which species you’re talking about, but the largest siphonophore found (looks to be praya dubia, the giant siphonophore, but unconfirmed) measured 46 meters (~150 ft) was found in Australian waters. All siphonophores are active swimmers, and have zooid parts made for pushing water and moving themselves along. The Portuguese man o’ war, however, has a floating sack that acts as a sail, using wind to help push it along.
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| Diagram showing the Portuguese man o' war's different zooids |
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| A man o' war in open water |
FOOD
All siphonophores are carnivores, presumably eating fish and crustaceans. I couldn’t find a straight answer as obviously not all 175 species have the exact same diet, so don’t quote me on that. Researching individual species gives more of an insight as to what each animal eats, for example the Erenna eats small fish it traps in its tentacles, and the M. Orthocanna tend to eat small crustaceans. As this is an overview, I’m saving the details for future posts, or even better, for you to research yourself.
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| The angler siphonophore, Erenna Sirenna, by MBARI |
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| M. Orthocanna, by Aquarium of the Pacific |
PERSONAL REVIEW
Siphonophores are the most fascinating and stunning creature I’ve ever heard of. Like the magnapinna squid, I stumbled upon a video of one late at night and I’ve never been the same since. The sheer beauty of the creatures caught my eye, but to learn that they’re not just one creature, but actually a bunch of small creatures working as a colony blew my mind. I’m shaking as I write this because of how much I ADORE these bizarre animals. They’re one of the reasons I decided to go into marine biology, I cannot describe how beautiful these animals are. I HIGHLY encourage you to look into these species individually on your own. Even if I may post more about them, you just gotta check them out yourself. To me they are a perfect representation of the beauty and wonders of the ocean. How a creature so different and foreign to us can live on the same planet. 10/10, my favorite species of animal.
(573 words)
REFERENCES
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