EVERY NOW AND THEN, WHEN THE WIND direction and ocean currents align, we get a late summer silly season - the press comes alive with sensational stories of giant killer jellyfish invading our shores. Physalia physalis is a killer of sorts but despite its appearance it isn't really a jellyfish. It is a fascinating and bizarre organism better known as the Portuguese man 'o war and it belongs to a strange group of animals called siphonophores - you are entering a realm where the singular and the plural become as tangled as their tentacles!
Siphonophores are related to the true jellyfish, corals and sea anemones but are more than one animal: they are a colony. Most of the world's species occur as deepwater pelagic ocean drifters - transparent, diaphanous and delicate, they go unnoticed by most folk other than divers.
Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
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Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
See It, Save It? - Wildlife tourism can be a powerful ally in protecting nature - but it can also harm it. We weigh up the pros and cons.
The sums of wildlife travel aren’t as simple as more tourists equals happier nature. How much did my visit really contribute to the conservation of Lady Liuwa and her habitat – and was that outweighed by carbon emissions from my flights? Did my presence disturb the animals’ natural behaviour more than it reduced the threat of poaching or benefited local communities?The question of whether wildlife travel is, on balance, good for wildlife is a complex one – and there’s no simple answer.
Can Your Really Offset Emissions? - Planning an overseas wildlife-watching trip entails facing some inconvenient truths
Imagine (or maybe you don't need to) that you hanker after the safari trip of a lifetime in sub-Saharan Africa. A 17-day tour beginning at the iconic Victoria Falls, passing through Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, taking in some of the continent’s most wildlife-rich national parks, and ending on the lush island of Zanzibar.
Metamorphosis: a life-changing event
WITH EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGIST JV CHAMARY
New series for BBC One: Asia
Settle in this autumn for a new natural-history extravaganza on BBC One and iPlayer: the longawaited Asia, presented by Sir David Attenborough.
Loss of Antarctic sea ice could impact seabird food supply
Albatrosses and petrels may be forced to fly further to feed
Tarsiers in trouble
Urgent action is needed to ensure survival of the Yoda-like primate
SNAP-CHAT
Chien Lee on shrew loos, rogue drones and being rained out of bed
VISIONS OF NATURE
The winners of the Wildlife Artist of the Year competition 2024, from David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
RETURN OF THE GIANTS
After two decades of preparations, the island of Floreana in the Galápagos is ready to welcome back an iconic tortoise
10 HOLIDAYS FOR CONSERVATION
Our round-up of the best ecotourism projects around the world. Here's how to help wildlife while having a blast!
