Hawai'i Nature Squad
Munching a Portuguese man-o-war

By Kim Welch, Kelly Perry and Ati Jeffers-Fabro
Hawai'i Nature Center

The Portuguese man-o-war is a frequent visitor to local beaches. Watch out for its nasty sting. Advertiser library photo

Detective Andy Anole aimed the mirrored face of his watch at the sun. Within seconds, his dragonfly partner, Penny Pinao, spotted the signal and flew down to join the lizard at the ocean's surface.

"Ahoy, matey," she called out. "Permission to come aboard?"

Andy walked to the edge of a large turtle shell and shouted down to its owner. "Mr. Honu, do you mind?"

"Not at all," answered the green sea turtle. "Welcome aboard!" he said to Penny.

"Have you found any floating suspects?" Penny asked Andy.

"A whole flotilla!" he exclaimed. "Look near that line of sea foam." The Hawai'i Nature Squad detectives gazed out at the shimmering blue bubble bodies of the jellyfish in the water.

"Great," said Penny excitedly. "Allie Murakami from Kailua wants to know what creatures eat the Portuguese man-o-war — stinging tentacles and all."

"Well you can start with me," said Mr. Honu.

"Now that I'm full-grown, I mostly dine on seaweed. But when I was young, I ate a lot of Portuguese man-o-war. Other jellyfish too! Once in a while I still crave a chewy treat."

"Agggh!" yelled Penny. "Aren't you afraid of getting stung?"

"It's no worse than loading up a sandwich with lots of spicy jalapeno peppers," said the turtle.

Andy pointed toward the man-o-war. "You're not the only one who likes a little sting in his lunch. That looks like a floating snail eating another man-o-war." They watched as the pea-sized snail devoured her prey in a mass of bubbles.

"Isn't she lovely?" asked the turtle. "Her fancy name is Janthina fragilis, and I think her violet shell is one of the prettiest in the sea!"

"Aren't snails supposed to eat algae and other plant-like things?" asked Andy.

Patiently, the sea turtle explained, "Actually, there are several kinds of meat-eating snails. This one happens to have a taste for man-o-war and doesn't seem bothered by the stinging barbs on its tentacles."

"Maybe all those bubbles act as a shield against the sting," offered Penny.

"Good guess," said the sea turtle. "Actually, those bubbles serve as a raft to keep the snail afloat, just as the man-o-war's 'bubble' helps keep it afloat. Both animals spend their lives drifting in the wind, along the ocean's surface."

"Cool!" said Andy. "They're like wind surfers!"

"Precisely!" said the turtle. "Speaking of surfing, you better hang on tight, Andy. We're catching this next wave back to shore." Penny took to the air, and the turtle paddled into the crashing white water.

"Cowabunga!" yelled Andy.

Have you seen something unusual in nature that you want the Hawai'i Nature Squad to investigate? Write us a letter with your name, age, school, name of parent(s) and telephone number. Mail it to Hawai'i Nature Squad, c/o Hawai'i Nature Center, 2131 Makiki Heights Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, or fax 955-0116. You may e-mail hawaiinaturecenter@hawaii.rr.com only if you're 13 or older.

"Hawai'i Nature Squad" is written by Kim Welch, Kelly Perry and Ati Jeffers-Fabro of Hawai'i Nature Center, an environmental education organization. It alternates with "Dr. Gadget's Science Machine."