When it's in the water, the Man-of-War uses the tentacles to capture small fish, plankton and crayfish.
To keep it from drying out the animal dips its sail in the water once every so often. If the bag dries then the Man-of-War dies. The bag that keeps it afloat must be kept wet. Since it has no control over where it goes Man-of-Wars are often found washed ashore, especially during winter and when the wind is bad. It relies on the wind to move it from one place to another. The crest above the float is only a few inches tall and acts like a sail. Sometimes the gas bag will flop over in the water but its muscles pull itself back up. The stinging tentacles can be up to 165 feet (about 50 meters) long. The body is a gas filled float which can be blue to pink in color (it looks like a bag.) It can be anywhere from three to 12 inches (nine to 30 centimeters.) Underneath the float are clusters of polyps which coiled tentacles hang off of. This stinging animal is called the Man-of-War because it looks a bit like a Portuguese battleship with a sail. They can be found in warm water all over the world. Man-of-Wars are well known for their painful and powerful sting. In fact, these sea creatures are four different polyps that rely on each other to survive. The Portuguese Man-of-War is a jelly-like marine animal but it's no jellyfish.
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